THE 


SCHOOLMASTER'S  TRUNK 


CONTAIN' ING 


Papers  on  Home-Life  in  Tweenit 


MRS.  A.  M.  DIAZ 


ILLUSTRATED 


BOSTON 
JAMES    R.    OSGOOD    AND    COMPANY 

(LATE  TICKNOR  &  FIELDS,  AND  FIELDS  OSGOOD  &  Co.) 
1875 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1874,  by 

JAMES   R.   OSGOOD   &    CO., 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


BOSTON : 
RAND,  AVEHT,  &  Co.,  STEREOTYI'EHS  AND  PRINTERS. 


:N~OTE. 


THE  papers  here  collected  were  originally  pub 
lished  in  "Hearth  and  Home,"  under  the  title  of 
"  Papers  found  in  the  Schoolmaster's  Trunk."  They 
embody  observations  made  from  actual  life  b}-  a 
teacher  residing  in  a  country-  village.  In  reprodu 
cing  them,  it  was  thought  best  to  retain  at  least  a 
portion  of  the  original  title. 

A.  M.  D. 


2029782 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

PAGB 

THE  SLAVES  OF  THE  ROLLING-PIN        ...  5 


CHAPTER   n. 
A  WORD  TO  THE  MEN-FOLKS       .        .        ...       .13 

CHAPTER  rrr. 

CONCERNING  COMMON  THINGS 21 

CHAPTER   IV. 
THE  SEWING-CIRCLE,  HOW  IT  WAS  STARTED  .       .29 

CHAPTER   V 

NOTES  TAKEN  AT  THE  SEWING- CIRCLE  ....      36 

CHAPTER   VI. 
PEBBLES,  OR  DIAMONDS  ?      . 42 

CHAPTER  VH. 

KlNDLENQ-WOOD 49 

3 


4  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

MR.    McKlMBER  RISES   TO   EXPLAIN 57 

CHAPTER   IX. 
"TURN  'EM  OFF!" 63 

CHAPTER  X. 
A  LOOK  AHEAD 70 

CHAPTER   XI. 
FENNEL  PAYNE  AND  ADELINE 78 

CHAPTER   XII. 
NEW  INVENTION  WANTED 86 

CHAPTER   XIII. 
A  TALK  IN  THE  SCHOOLHOUSE       .       .        .        .        .        .94 

CHAPTER   XIV. 
AN  ENTERTAINING  MEETING 102 

CHAPTER   XV. 
THE  WRITER  FACES  HIS  OWN  Mtrsio 110 


THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S  TBUNK, 


i. 

THE  SLAVES  OF  THE  ROLLING-PEST. 

~1T)IES  again !  Always  pies !  One,  two,  three, 
•*•  four,  this  is  the  fifth  time,  within,  say,  ten  days 
or  a  fortnight,  that,  to  my  knowledge,  pies  have 
stood  in  the  way  of  better  things. 

First,  my  hostess,  Mrs.  Fennel,  could  not  leave  to 
take  a  ride  with  me  a  few  mornings  ago,  because 
"we  are  entirely  out  of — pies."  Mrs.  Fennel, 
poor  woman,  is  far  from  well,  and  what  with  husband, 
grown-up  boys,  and  two  small  children,  not  to 
mention  mj'self  as  boarder,  she  has  a  large  family 
to  cook  for,  and  only  her  daughter  Martha  to  help 
do  the  work.  That  breezy  morning-ride  would  have 
raised  her  spirits ;  it  would  have  put  new  life  into 
her:  but  —  pies.  (This  is  one  time.)  Then  Miss 
Martha,  who  is  fond  of  reading,  declined  the  loan 

5 


0  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

of  my  library -book  the  other  day  on  account  of  hav 
ing  to  help  her  mother  make  —  pies.  (Two  times.) 
La,st  evening  she  could  not  run  up  on  the  hill 
to  see  the  sun  set,  because  they  were  trying  to  get 
the  meat  and  apple  ready  over  night  for  —  pies. 
(Three  times.)  When  poor  Mrs.  Fennel  was  taken 
off  her  work  the  other  day  by  one  of  her  frequent 


ill-turns,    Mrs.    Melendy   came    in  with   offers   of 
assistance. 

"  Now  I  can  stay  just  two  hours  by  the  clock," 
said  Mrs.  Melendy  in  her  sprightly  way ;  "  and  what 
shall  I  take  hold  of  first?  Shall  I  tidy  up  the  room, 
read  to  you,  bathe  j-our  head,  make  you  some  good 
gruel?  Or,  else,  shall  I  take  hold  of  the  mending, 
or  see  to  the  dinner,  or  what  ?  " 


THE  SLAVES   OF  THE  ROLLING-PIN.  7 

Mrs.  Fennel  raised  her  languid  lids,  and  faintly 
murmured,  "  Out  of  pies." 

"Dear  me!"  cried  breezy  Mrs.  Melendy,  "I 
know  what  that  feeling  is  well  enough ;  and  'tis  a 
dreadful  feeling !  Why,  I  should  no  more  dare  to 
set  out  a  meal's  victuals  without  pie  than  I  should 
dare  to  fly !  For  my  husband,  he  mnst  have  his 
piece  o'  pie  to  top  off  with,  whatever's  on  the  table." 
And  the  sympathizing  sister  bared  her  willing  arms, 
and  wrestled  womanfully  with  the  rolling-pin,  I 
know  not  how  long. 

The  fifth  time  was  this  morning.  While  sitting 
in  the  room  adjoining  the  kitchen,  the  doors  being 
open  between,  I  heard  Martha  ask  her  mother  wiry 
they  could  not  take  a  magazine.  "  I  do  long  for 
something  to  read  ! "  said  she  ;  "  and  all  we  have  is 
just  one  newspaper  a  week." 

"  Oh !  we  couldn't  get  much  reading-time,"  said 
Mrs.  Fennel.  "  If  'tisn't  one  thing,  'tis  another, 
and  sometimes  both.  There's  your  father,  now, 
coming  with  the  raisins.  These  pies  will  take  about 
all  the  forenoon."  Miss  Martha  afterward  spoke 
to  her  father  about  the  magazine. 

"  We  can't  afford  to  spend  money  on  readin'," 
he  answered,  in  his  usual  drawling  monotone : 
"costs  a  sight  to  live.  Now,  if  we  didn't  raise 


8  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

our  own  pork,  we  should  be  hard  pushed  to  git 
short'nin'  for  our  pies." 

Such  constant  reiteration  had  made  me  desperate. 
I  strode  to  the  doorway.  "  And  why  must  we  have 
pies?"  I  demanded  in  tones  of  smothered  indigna 
tion.  "  Why  not  bread  and  butter,  with  fruits  or 
sauce,  instead?  Why  not  drop  pies  out  of  the  work 
altogether?  Yes,  drop  them  out  of  the  world." 
Miss  Martha  was  the  first  to  recover  from  the  shock 
of  this  startling  proposition.  "  Our  men-folks 
couldn't  get  along  without  pies,  Mr.  McKimber," 
she  said.  . 

"Pie-crust  does  make  a  slave  of  a  woman, 
though,"  said  Mrs.  Fennel.  "There's  nothin' 
harder  than  standin'  on  }-our  feet  all  the  forenoon, 
rollin'  of  it  out." 

"  Denno  'bout  doin'  without  pie,"  drawled  Mr. 
Fennel.  "  'Pears  if  bread'n  sarse'd  be  a  mighty 
poor  show  for  somethin'  to  eat." 

"  'Twould  take  off  the  heft  of  the  cookin',"  said 
Mrs.  Fennel  thoughtfully;  "but"  (with  a  sigh) 
"  3'ou  couldn't  satisfy  the  men-folks." 

I  rushed  to  my  chamber  in  despair.  Pie*  then, 
is  one  of  the  household  gods  in  Tweenit.  But 
what  can  I  do  about  it  ?  Something  must  be  done. 
Suppose  I  write  an  "  Appeal  to  Women,"  and  read 


THE  SLAVES   OF  THE  ROLLING-PIN.  9 

it  at  the  sewing-circle,  pretending  it  was  taken 
from  a  newspaper  published  in  —  well,  in  \laska, 
or  Australia,  or  the  Orkney  Islands.  We  gentle 
men  arc  expected  to  help  along  the  entertainment 
in  some  way. 

Hark,  now,  to  the  music  of  the  rolling-pin  sound 
ing  from  below  !  That  music  shall  inspire  my 

"APPEAL. 

"  M}r  dear  friends,  this  is  an  age  of  inquiry. 
Can  an}^  one  tell  who  first  imprisoned  our  luscious 
fruits  in  a  paste  of  grease  and  flour,  baptized  the 
thing  with  fire,  and  named'  it  pie  ?  And  why  is 
this  pie  a  necessity?  That  is  what  confounds  me. 
Mothers  of  families,  hard  pressed  with  work,  con 
sume  time  and  strength  in  endless  struggles  with 
the  rolling-pin.  Fathers  of  families  lengthen  their 
bills  to  shorten  their  pies.  And  all  this  is  to 
what  end?  The  destruction  of  health.  Every 
stroke  on  the  board  demands  strength  which  is 
worse  than  thrown  away.  Ever}-  flake  of  pastry 
is  so  much  food  which  were  better  left  uneaten. 
And  as  for  the  time  consumed  in  this  kind  of  labor, 
who  shall  count  the  hours  which  are  daily  rolled 
awajr,  and  chiefly  by  overburdened  women,  who 
complain  of  'no  time'  and  ''no  constitution'? 


10  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

"  One   Saturday   forenoon    I   stood   on   the    hill 

which   commands   a  view  of  the   village.     It  was 

* 
'  baking -day.'      Being     a     clairvoyant,    I    looked 

through  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  and  saw  in  every 
kitchen  a  weary  woman,  '  standin'  on  her  feet,'  .roll 
ing,  rolling,  rolling.  Close  around  some  stood  their 
own  little  children,  tugging  at  their  skirts,  pleading 
for  that  time  and  attention  which  rightfully  be 
longed  to  them.  One  frail,  delicate  woman  was 
actually  obliged  to  lie  down  and  rest  twice  before 
her  task  was  ended.  Another,  the  mother  of  an 
infant  not  many  months  old,  accomplished  hers  with 
one  foot  on  the  cradle-rocker. 

41  We  read  of  despotic  countries  where  galley- 
slaves  were  chained  to  the  oar.  They,  however, 
after  serving  their  time,  went  free.  Alas  for  poor 
woman  chained  to  the  rolling-pin  !  Her  sentence 
is  for  life. 

"  We  read,  too,  in  ancient  story  of  powerful  genii, 
whose  control  over  their  slaves  was  absolute ;  but 
this  terrible  genius  of  the  household  exacts  from  its 
slaves  an  equally  prompt  obedience.  Is  there  one 
among  them  who  dares  assert  her  freedom  ? 

"  No  :  their  doom  is  inevitable.  Woman  is  fore 
ordained  to  roll  her  life  away.  Is  there  no  escape  ? 
No  escape.  The  rolling-board  is  planted  squarely 


THE  SLAVES   OF  THE   ROLLING-PIN.  11 

in  the  path  of  every  little  daughter  ;  and  sooner  or 
later,  if  her  life  be  spared,  she  will  walk  up  to  it. 
May  we  not  call  it  an  altar  upon  which  human 
sacrifices  are  performed  daily? 

"I  observed,  on  the  morning  just  mentioned, 
lhat,  in  the  intervals  of  pastry-making,  the  genius 
of  the  long-handled  spoon  took  control,  demanding 
its  customary  tribute  of  eggs,  sugar,  fat,  spices, 
&c.,  demanding,  also,  the  usual  outlay  of  time  and 
strength  which  goes  to  the  compounding  of  cakes ; 
and  thus,  with  rolling,  beating,  and  stirring,  the 
forenoon  wore  away,  leaving  in  each  house  its 
accumulation  of  unwholesome  food. 

"You  do  know,  madam,  that  plain  living  is 
better  for  your  children?  You  would  like  more 
time  to  devote  to  them,  or  for  books,  or  for  recrea 
tion?  Then,  pray,  why  not  change  all  this?  Is 
palalo  forever  to  rank  above  brain?  Change  your 
creed.  Say,  '  I  believe  in  health,  in  books,  in  out 
doors.'  Why  don't  you  me,  slaves?.  Now  is  your 
lime.  Now,  when  slaves  everywhere  are  demanding 
their  freedom,  demand  yours. 

"  Company?  Thanks  for  teaching  me  that  word. 
The  kind  hospitality  of  this  social  little  village  of 
Tweenit  enables  me  to  be  '  company '  mj-self 
very  frequently.  And  I  am  aware  that  much  time 


12  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

is  spent  in  the  preparation  of  viands  to  set  before 
me,  which,  for  variety  and  richness,  could  not  be 
excelled.  Shall  I  add,  that  whenever,  at  the  boun 
tifully-spread  tea-tables,  I  have  attempted  to  start 
a  rational  conversation,  the  attempt  usually  has 
been  a  failure?  Books,  public  men,  public  meas 
ures,  new  ideas,  new  inventions,  new  discoveries, 
what  is  doing  for  the  elevation  of  women, —  on  none 
of  these  subjects  had  my  entertainers  a  word  to 
offer.  Their  talk  was,  almost  without  exception, 
trivial,  not  to  say  gossipy. 

"  Therefore,  as  a  member  of  that  institution, 
which,  as  everybody  says,  '  makes  a  sight  of  work,' 
namely,  '  company,'  I  protest.  I  petition  for  less 
variety  in  food,  and  more  culture.  And  3rour  peti 
tioner  further  prays,  that  some  of  the  spices  and 
good  things  be  left  out  in  cooking,  and  put  into  the 
conversation. 

"  But  the  '  men-folks  '?  Ah,  to  be  sure!  Per 
haps,  after  all,  it  is  they  who  need  an  appeal." 


A  WORD  TO  THE  "MEN  FOLKS:''      13 


n. 

A  WORD  TO  THE  "MEN-FOLKS." 

"TTT'HAT!  do  without  cake  entirely?"  cries 
Mr.  Livewell  in  alarm.  By  no  means, 
sir!  Poor  human  nature  craves  something  sweet. 
The  trouble  lies  in  making  palate  king.  In  many 
families  this  is  done  at  terrible  cost  on  the  part  of 
the  woman.  I  say  terrible,  because  human  sacri 
fice,  in  whatever  shape,  is  terrible.  And  when  a 
woman  uses  herself  up  in  cooking,  and,  as  a  conse 
quence,  dies,  or  half-dies,  what  is  that  but  human 
sacrifice  ? 

It  was  a  remark  made  by  Mrs.  Melendy  which 
first  called  m}'  attention  to  this  subject.  I  had 
been  saying  something  complimentary  of  her  very 
interesting  little  familj". 

"Ah,  j-es !  Mr.  McKimber,"  she  answered,  "if 
I  onl}r  knew  how  to  bring  them  up  as  they  ought  to 
be  brought  up  !  " 

I  suggested  that  children  need,  more  than  any 
thing,  a  mother's  time  and  attention. 
2 


14  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

"  But  that's  just  what  the}'  can't  have,"  said  she ; 
"for,  to  tell  the  truth,  the  three  meals  take  about 
all  clay,  so  I  have  to  turn  off  the  children." 

Mrs.  Melendy  is  the  woman  whose  husband 
"•  alwaj-s  wants  his  piece  o'  pie  to  top  off  with." 

I  had  frequently  heard  that  remark  in  regard  to 
the  "three  meals,"  —  heard  it  unconcernedly,  as 
relating  to  a  subject  in  which  I  had  no  interest. 
But  when  it  was  repeated  that  day  by  Mrs.  Melen 
dy,  and  in  that  connection,  I  was  suddenly  awak 
ened  to  its  full  meaning ;  and  the  idea  occurred  to 
me  that  woman  might  not  have  been  created  mainly 
for  the  purpose  of  getting  three  meals  a  day.  If 
she  were,  thought  I,  what  a  waste !  for,  certainly, 
a  mere  meal-getter  might  have  been  fashioned  out 
of  cheaper  material. 

I  am  a  curious  person  for  following  up  an}T  sub 
ject  to  which  toy  attention  has  been  particularly 
directed  ;  and,  in  following  up  this  subject,  I  have 
observed  closely  what  goes  on  daily  under  the  name 
of  housework ;  and  I  find  it  to  be  a  never-  ending 
succession  of  steps.  Why,  such  an  everlasting 
treadmill  would  wear  out  a  strong  man  !  Not  only 
a  tread-mill,  but  a  hand-mill,  and  a  head-mill:  for 
hands  must  keep  time  with  the  feet ;  and,  as  to  the 
head,  I  have  often  heard  Mrs.  Fennel  tell  Martha 


A    WORD   TO   THE   "MEN-FOLKS."  15 

sne  must  keep  her  mind  on  her  work.  And,  truly, 
the  calculating  and  contriving  demanded  by  each 
day's  operations  require  some  mind. 

Now,  I  had  the  idea,  before  I  was  awakened 
b}-  Mrs.  Melendy's  remark,  that  wpman's  work  was 
not  of  much  account, — just  a  simple  matter  of 
"puttering"  about  the  house.  The  tempting  food 
which  Mrs.  Fennel  serves  up  daily  stood  for  a  very 
small  part  of  the  labor  which  it  actually  represents. 
And,  but  for  that  remark,  I  might  have  gone  on 
eating  the  delicacies  spread  before  me  with  no  more 
sense  of  their  cost  than  if  they  grew  on  trees, 
and  were  shaken  down  at  meal-times.  Since  my 
eyes  have  been  Opened,  however,  those  delicacies 
taste  too  strong  of  the  toil  to  be  relishable ;  for  I 
see  that  the  rows  of  pies  on  the  buttery  shelves,  the 
mounds  of  cake,  the  stacks  of  doughnuts,  do  not 
come  there  b}*  any  magical  "  sleight  o'  hand,"  but 
are  wrought  out  of  the  very  life  of  poor  Mrs.  Fen 
nel,  —  literally,  of  her  very  life.  This  is  not  an 
overstatement,  since  it  is  plain  to  be  seen  that  each 
day's  labor  makes  demands  which  her  strength  is 
unable  to  meet.  I  have  observed  the  languid  way  in 
which  she  drags  herself  about  the  house,  now  and  then 
dropping  upon  a  chair  ;  have  noted,  at  times,  —  at 
"  hurried  "  times, —  the  worn,  weary,  "  all  gone  "  ex- 


16  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

pression  of  her  face  ;  and  have  heard  her  take,  oh ! 
very  often,  those  "long  breaths,"  which  are  sure 
signs  of  a  wearing-out. 

Yes,  the  poor  woman  is  killing  herself  with  over 
work.  And  wheja  she  rests,  at  last,  beneath  the 
turf,  people  will  speak  of  the  mysterious  Providence 
which  removed  a  wife  and  mother  in  the  midst  of 
her  usefulness. 

It  is  about  time,  one  would  think,  to  put  a  stop 
to  this  woman-killing.  A  harsh  phrase  ?  It  is  not 
more  harsh  than  the  truth ;  for,  if  lightening  labor 
will  prolong  life,  insisting  upon  unnecessary  labor 
is  not  far  removed  from  that  crime.  And  this 
unnecessary  labor  is  insisted  upon  in  one  way  or 
another. 

For  instance,  I  have  Mrs.  Fennel's  own  word  for 
it,  that  pies  are  "  the  heft  of  the  cooking;"  have 
heard  her  speak  of  rolling  out  pastry  until  she  was 
"ready  to  drop,"  of  beating  cake  until  her  arms 
"  hadn't  one  mite  of  strength  left  in  them."  Yet,  to 
any  suggestion  that  these  and  other  superfluities  be 
omitted,  the  answer  has  invariably  been,  that  "  the 
men-folks  wouldn't  be  satisfied  without  them." 

Mr.  Fennel  is  a  very  good  man  ;  and  the  boys  — 
young  men  of  eighteen  and  twenty  —  are  very  good 
boys.  If  the  direct  question  were  asked  Mr.  Fen- 


^A    WORD   TO   THE   "MEN-FOLKS."  17 

nel,  which  he  most  valr.es,  his  wife's  life,  or  the  nice 
things  she  prepares  for  the  table,  he  would  answer 
with  horror,  if  he  answered  at  all,  the  former.  In 
reality,  however,  he  answers  the  latter.  It  is  the 
same  with  the  boys.  The  men-folks  can't  eat  cold 
bread ;  therefore  bisuits  are  rolled  out,  cut  out, 
end  baked,  both  morning  and  night;  the  men-folks 
make  dependence  on  their  cake  ;  the  men-folks  must 
have  their  "  piece  o'  pie  to  top  off  with  ;"  the  men- 
folks  like  to  have  a  pot  of  doughnuts  to  go  to. 

I 


Now,  all  these  things  may  gratify  the  palate  ;  but 
the  point  is,  are  they  worth  the  price  that  is  paid  for 
them?  I  confess  that  it  fairly  makes  me  shudder, 
sometimes,  to  see  those  strong  men  sit  down  at 
table,  and,  with  appetites  sharpened  by  out-of-door 
2* 


18  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK.   , 

exercise,  sweep  off  so  unthinkingly  and  unthank- 
ingly  the  results  of  Mrs.  Fennel's  long  and  weary 
toil.  Do  they  not  taste  something  in  those  delica 
cies?  detect  a  flavoring  that  was  never  set  down 
in  any  grocer's  bill?  They  probably  do  not.  Long 
habit  has  so  accustomed  them  to  the  flavor  of  this 
essence  of  life,  this  compound  extract  of  backache, 
headache,  exhaustion,  prostration,  palpitation,  that 
they  do  not  notice  its  presence.  It  would  be  well 
for  them  to  do  so,  however ;  for  it  is  a  terribly 
expensive  article. 

Oh,  no  !  they  don't  taste  any  thing  but  what  may 
be  bought  at  the  grocer's,  or  raised  on  the  farm.  If 
they  did,  if  the  cost  of  all  these  dainties  were  once 
made  clear  to  our  kind-hearted  men-folks,  they 
would  not  only  be  satisfied  without  them,  but  would 
beg  Mrs.  Fennel  to  stop  cooking  them ;  for  neither 
Mr.  Fennel  nor  the  boys  are  wanting  in  affection 
for  her.  Whenever,  by  overwork,  she  becomes 
alarmingly  ill,  they  are  ready  to  harness  the  horse, 
and  go  seven  miles  for  the  doctor  at  any  time 
of  day  or  night.  Mr.  Fennel  never  spends  his 
money  so  freely  as  in  medicine  for  his  wife ;  and 
the  boys  seldom  come  home  from  the  pastures  with 
out  bringing  her  mullein,  or  some  kind  of  herb,  to 
dry.  "So  thoughtful  of  them!"  the  dear  woman 


A    WORD   TO   THE   "MEN-FOLKS."  19 

remarks  with  moistened  63*68,  and  cheeks  faintly 
flushed.  If  they  could  only  be  so  thoughtful  as  to 
consider  that  rest  is  better  for  her  than  herbs  ! 

All  women  are  not  as  feeble  as  Mrs.  Fennel? 
This  is  true ;  yet  she  represents  a  large  class,  and 
one  which  is  rapicll}-  increasing.  Mothers  of  families 
calling  themselves  well  and  strong  are  hard  to  find. 
They  too  commonly  either  break  down  and  die,  or 
break  down  and  live.  Go  into  almost  any  town,  any 
country  village  even,  where  pure  air  and  other  condi 
tions  of  health  abound,  and  mark  in  the  sharpened, 
worn,  pinched  faces  of  its  elderly  women,  the  effects 
of  overwork  and  unwholesome  food. 

Work  is  necessarj-.  I  believe  in  it ;  believe  in 
eating  too,  and  in  eating  what  "tastes  good,"  as 
the  phrase  is.  But  to  a  person  of  healthy  appetite 
plain  food  "tastes  good,"  and  "topping  off"  is 
quite  unnecessary.  The  words  "topping  off"  ex 
press  the  exact  truth :  implying,  that,  when  the 
stomach  is  already  full,  something  is  put  on  the  top. 
(By  the  way,  it  is  doing  this,  unless  the  something 
be  very  simple,  which  spoils  the  appetite  for  the 
next  meal.) 

No  :  far  be  it  from  me  to  scorn  the  pleasures  of 
the  palate.  I  would  by  no  means  consider  it 
wicked  to  eat,  semi-occasionalty,  a  bit  of  cake ; 


20  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

and  there  may  be  times  in  the  year  when  even  pie 
would  be  in  order.  But  I  protest  against  making 
these  things  the  essentials ;  against  its  being  taken 
for  granted,  that  in  whatever  press  for  time,  —  in  sick 
ness  and  in  health,  in  strength  and  in  weakness,  in 
sorrow  and  in  joy,  —  the  table  must  be  spread  with 
this  prescribed,  though  needless,  variety  of  food. 

And,  as  it  is  the  men-folks  who  are  to  "be 
satisfied,"  I  appeal  to  them  to  "be  satisfied"  with 
that  which  requires  less  of  woman's  labor  and  of 
woman's  life. 


CONCERNING   COMMON   THINGS.  21 


m. 

GONCEKNING  COMMON  THINGS. 

TTTHOEVER  would  be  tranquil,  let  him  not  in- 
*  *  vestigate.  Ever  since  I  began  inquiring  into 
household  affairs,  my  mind  has  been  disturbed  by  a 
doubt  —  not  quite  a  doubt ;  call  it  an  uneasiness 
—  as  to  the  mental  superiority  of  the  dominant  sex. 
No,  it  cannot  amount  to  positive  doubting.  That 
would  be  to  fly  in  the  face  of  facts.  History 
proves  that  the  greatest  philosophers,  the  greatest 
artists,  the  greatest  writers,  the  greatest  thinkers, 
have  been  men.  If  woman  has  the  ability  to 
be  as  great  in  these  directions,  why  has  she  not 
been  as  great?  There  has  certainly  been  time 
enough,  —  six  thousand  years  at  the  lowest  calcula 
tion. 

Well,  then,  since  facts  cannot  be  disputed,  there 
can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  upon  this  subject ;  but  — 
No,  I  won't  say  but :  I  won't  admit  the  possibility 
of  a  but.  I  will  only  say  that  it  is  very  puzzling 


22  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

and  very  annoying  to  have  one's  daily  observa 
tions  tend  to  undermine — not  undermine,  conflict 
with  —  one's  belief.  And  it  may  happen,  that,  if  a 
man  watch  too  closely  what  goes  on  in  doors,  the 
idea  will  be  suggested  to  him,  that  while  he  prides 
himself,  very  likely,  on  working  well  at  one  trade,  a 
woman  may  work  well  at  half  a  dozen,  and  not  pride 
herself  at  all. 

Mr.  Fennel  is  a  carpenter.  Mr.  Meleudy  is  a 
shoemaker.  Each  is  master  of  one  trade,  and  onl}' 
one,  "and  works  at  that  all  day.  Mr.  Fennel  doesn't 
stop  to  mend  his  shoes.  Mr.  Melend}-  doesn't  leave 
off  pegging  to  make  a  new  front-door. 

Mrs.  Fennel  is  mistress  of  many  trades.  Mrs. 
Fennel  is  cook,  tailoress,  dressmaker,  milliner,  dyer, 
housemaid,  doctor,  and  boy's  capmaker ;  also,  at 
times,  schoolmaster,  lawyer,  and  minister.  For 
sue  hears  the  children's  lessons ;  she  adjusts  their 
quarrels  with  the  judgment  of  a  judge ;  and  she 
gives  them  sermons  on  morals  which  contain  the 
gist  of  the  whole  matter. 

Of  all  these  occupations,  cooking,  I  observe,  ranks 
the  highest.  That  is  sure  of  attention  :  the  others 
take  their  chance.  That  is  cut  out  of  the  whole 
cloth :  the  others  get  the  odds  and  ends.  I  have 
observed  also,  in  this  connection,  that  the  day  in 


CONCERNING   COMMON   THINGS.  23 

doors  resolves  itself  into  three  grand  crises,  called 
the  three  meals.  It  is  surprising,  it  is  really  won 
derful,  the  way  these  are  brought  about  with  every 
thing  else  going  on  beside.  Indeed,  this  pry 
ing  into  domestic  affairs  has  made  me  surprised 
twice.  First,  at  the  amount  of  physical  labor  a 
woman  has  to  perform  ;  second,  that  she  can  carry 
so  many  things  on  her  mind  at  one  time,  or  rather 
that  her  mind  can  act  in  so  many  directions  at  one 
time,  and  so  quickly.  This  in-doors  work  seems 
commonplace  enough  ;  to  the  fastidious,  repugnant 
even.  The  same  may  be  said  of  a  mud-puddle. 
But  dip  up  a  dipperful  of  the  mud,  examine  it 
closely,  and  you  will  find  it  teeming  with  life.  So, 
examine  an  hourful  of  household  work,  and  you 
will  find  it  all  alive  with  plans,  contrivances,  fore 
thoughts,  afterthoughts,  happy  thoughts,  and  count 
less  trifling  experiences,  minute,  it  may  be,  but  full 
of  animation.  The  puddle  is  often  set  in  commo 
tion  by  a  passing  breeze,  or  by  a  stone  dropping 
in.  Well,  household  work,  too,  has  its  breezes  of 
liuiTy  and  flurry,  besides  its  regular  trade- winds, 
which  blow  morning,  noon,  and  night.  And,  if 
company  unexpected  isn't  like  the  stone  dropping 
in,  then  what  is  it  like? 

This  is  written,  as  the  scientific  people  say,  from 


24  THE   SCHOOLMASTER'S    TRUNK. 

observations  taken  on  the  spot.  One  day  I  spent 
an  hour  in  watching  Mrs.  Fennel  at  her  work,  and  an 
hour  in  watching  Mr.  Fennel  at  his.  Being  in  a 
humorous  as  well  as  a  scientific  frame  of  mind,  I 
plaj-ed  they  were  my  specimens,  and  that  the  matter 
under  consideration  really  did  belong  to  some  branch 
of  science,  unknown,  of  course,  to  a  country  school 
master.  I  copy  from  m}T  note-book :  — 

"  Time,  forenoon  ;  place,  kitchen. 

"Fly,  my  pencil,  fly,  like  Mrs.  Fennel's  feet! 
Dinner  is  getting.  It  seems  now  as  if  every  mo 
ment  were  a  crisis.  What's  that  she  is  dropping 
into  hot  water?  Oh!  turnip,  sliced  and  peeled. 
Meat,  pudding,  potatoes,  squash,  beans,  &c.,  re 
quire,  I  see,  different  lengths  of  time  in  the  cooking. 
But  they  must  be  on  the  table  at  twelve  o'clock, 
done  just  right ;  some  of  them  mashed,  and  all  of 
them  hot.  Think  of  the  calculation  necessary  to 
bring  this  about !  Meanwhile,  in  the  intervals  of 
lifting  the  pot-lid,  Gussy's  new  suit  is  being  "cut 
out  of  old."  And  here,  again,  calculation  —  that  is, 
mind —  is- required  in  cutting  the  cloth  to  advantage. 

"Now  Mrs.  Fennel  drops  down  to  take  a  long 
breath.  '•  How  much  sugar  must  be  put  into  this 
gooseberiy  pie  ? '  Martha  asks.  '  Rising  one  cupful.' 
Now  a  little  girl  comes  of  an  errand  :  '  Mother  wants 


CONCERNING   COMMON   THINGS. 


25 


you  to  write  down  how  to  make  corn-starch  gruel. 
Bobby's  sick.'  Mrs.  Fennel  writes  directions.  Now 
she  is  ironing.  Why  not  wait  till  after  dinner  ?  Oh, 
to  be  sure !  '  We  must  iron  while  we  have  a  fire.' 
Now  Gussy  rushes  in  pell-mell  to  ask  if  when  he 
carries  Emma's  gooseberries  for  her  because  she 


asked  him  to,  and  then  stubs  his  toe,  and  spills  'em, 
he  ought  to  pick  'em  up  ?  Now  comes  Emma,  to  say 
that  Gussy  tried  to  stub  his  tos,  because  she  picked 
more  gooseberries  than  he  did  when  he  went.  Mrs. 
Fennel  adjusts  the  quarrel ;  preaches  a  sermon  on 
envy,  truth,  and  brotherly  love  ;  informs  Gussy  what 
Malaga  is  famous  for ;  tries  on  his  jacket  (telling 
a  story  to  make  him  stand  still)  ;  catches  up  a  rent 
in  Emma's  dress ;  trades  with  a  tin-peddler  (mind 
3 


26  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

again)  ;  and  through  all  this  keeps  her  eye  on  the 
cook-stove  ;  drops  things  into  hot  water  ;  forks  things 
out  of  hot  water ;  contrives  places  for  saucepans, 
spiders  ;  runs  round  with  a  long-handled  spoon,  now 
with  a  knife,  stirring,  mashing,  seasoning,  tasting, 
till  at  last  the  moment  arrives,  and  the  men-folks 
arrive,  and  the  grand  crisis  of  the  day  is  at  its  cli 
max.  But  oh  the  flurry  and  excitement  of  the  last 
fifteen  minutes !  the  watching  the  clock,  the  look 
ing  in  at  the  oven,  the  disappointment  when  things 
that  should  have  risen  have  fallen !  As  if  this 
did  not  happen  in  life  always  !  " 

The  second  hour  gave  less  striking  results.  I 
found  Mr.  Fennel  planing  and  grooving  boards.  His 
movements  were  distinguished  b}'  an  entire  calmness. 
There  was  no  hurry,  no  excitement,  to  keep  his  mind 
on  the  snap  every  moment ;  no  grand  climax  for 
which  boards,  laths,  shingles,  nails,  and  clapboards 
must  be  got  ready,  let  come  what  would.  "Too 
monotonous,"  the  notes  read,  "to  be  of  any  special 
interest."  Had  he  dropped  his  plane  for  a  trowel, 
the  trowel  for  a  paint-brush,  paint-brush  for  a  white 
wash-brush,  whitewash-brush  for  a  hod  of  bricks,  or 
been  called  upon  to  slack  lime,  mix  paint,  or  to  give 
directions  for  building  a  hen-house,  the  proceedings 
in  the  work-shop  would  no  doubt  have  been  as  en- 


CONCERNING   COMMON   THINGS.  27 

tertaining  as  those  in  the  kitchen.  But,  as  far 
as  hinderances  were  concerned,  Mr.  Fennel  might 
have  shoved  that  plane  till  doomsday,  and  with  a 
temper  smooth  and  even  as  his  own  boards. 

Since  that  time  I  have  observed  carefully  other 
men  and  other  women  at  their  work  ;  and  thus  far  my 
observations  show  that  the  average  mother  of  a 
family  requires  and  uses,  in  the  performance  of  her 
daily  duties,  higher  qualities  of  mind  than  does 
the  average  father  of  a  family7  in  the  performance 
of  his.  Indeed,  the  more  closety  I  observe,  tho 
more  amazed  am  I  at  the  skill,  tact,  energy,  insight, 
foresight,  judgment,  abilit}-,  genius,  I  may  almost 
sa}1,  so  often  disp^ed  by  the  former. 

Well,  and  what  then?  Why,  then  the  question 
arises,  "  Is  woman,  in  the  present  condition  of 
things,  making  the  best  use  of  all  these  high  quali 
ties  ?  "  This  question  is  not  suggested  by  the  fact 
of  her  giving  herself  up  so  entirely  to  her  family. 
Oh,  no  !  most  emphatically  no.  Children  must  have 
their  mother.  She  belongs  to  them.  The  best  a 
woman  has,  the  best  an  arch-angel  has,  is  none 
too  good  for  the  children.  No :  the  question  is 
suggested,  partly  by  the  "observations"  I  have 
been  making,  and  partly  by  the  recollection  of  Mrs. 
Melendy's  remark,  that  the  "three  meals  take 


28  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

about  all  day."  I  am  glad  the  sewing-circle  meets 
here  this  week ;  for,  by  attending  to  the  conver 
sation,  I  may  learn  upon  what  subjects  the  minds 
of  at  least  some  fifteen  or  twenty  women  chiefly 
dwell. 

Another  question,  and  a  startling  one  too,  is  this : 
"  If  woman  ever  has  a  chance  properly  to  develop 
these  remarkable  qualities  of  mind,  what  is  going  to 
become  of  the  mental  superiority  of  the  dominant 
sex?" 

No  more,  no  more !  My  brain  is  confused,  my 
soul  disquieted  within  me.  Whoever  would  be  tran 
quil,  let  him  not  investigate. 


THE  SEWING-CIRCLE. 


IV. 

THE  SEWING-CIRCLE.  —  HOW  IT  WAS   STARTED. 


sewing-circle  is  in  session  in  the  adjoining 
room.  It  counts  thirty-two  members  in  all, 
—  a  goodly  number  for  a  population  of  only  twentj-- 
flve  or  thirty  families.  The  gathering  to-day  is 
not  large  ;  a  thunder-storm,  and  a  circus  at  Elin- 
bridge,  conspiring  to  keep  many  awa}-. 

Mrs.  Fennel  has  been  telling  me  about  this  sew 
ing-circle,  and  what  it  is  trying,  or  rather  is  deter 
mined,  to  do.  The  people  of  Tweenit  village  never 
had  a  meeting-house,  but  have  held  religious  ser 
vices  in  the  schoolhouse.  Now  the  women  want  to 
change  all  this.  The}-  want  to  build  a  chapel  ;  and 
for  that  purpose  they  mean  to  raise  eight  hundred 
dollars. 

"Eight  hundred  dollars!"  I  exclaimed  when 
Mrs.  Fennel  named  the  sum.  "  Why,  there's 
hardly  as  much  money  in  the  place  !  " 

"  That's  just  what  the  men  told  us,"  she  answered  ; 
"  but  we  have  faith."  3* 


80  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S  TRUNK. 

"  I  should  think  so,"  said  I,  "  and  works  too." 

The  men,  it  seems,  threw  cold  water  at  the  very 
beginning. 

"  Where's  all  that  mono}*  coining  from  ?  "  "  Lum 
ber  high !"  "Labor  high!"  "Saddle  the  place 
with  debt!"  "All  nonsense!  The  old  school- 
1  ouse  is  good  enough  ! " 

And  the  idea  might  have  been  quenched  entirely, 
but  for  the  burning  zeal  of  two  unmarried  women,  — 
"Nanny  Joe"  and  "  Nanny  Moses,"  the  daughters 
respectively  of  Mr.  Joseph  Payne  and  Mr.  Moses 
Payne.  They  believed  in  a  chapel.  They  preached 
this  belief;  and  many  women  were  converted.  The 
first  convert  was  Miss  Janet  (Mr.  William  Me- 
lendy's  wife,  called  "Miss  Janet,"  to  distinguish 
her  from  four  other  Mrs.  Melendys).  A  meeting 
was  called  at  her  house.  Before  its  close,  the  wild 
est  enthusiasm  prevailed.  The  men's  objections 
first  were  shown  up  to  be  scarecrows,  then  pelted 
down  with  ridicule.  A  sewing-circle  was  formed, 
which  met  once  a  week  to  sew  "  slop-work,"  and 
knit  toes  of  stockings,  —  heels,  too,  I  think.  Oh, 
yes  !  "  heeled  and  toed  :  "  that's  the  very  expression. 
In  other  respects,  the  stockings  were  woven.  The 
circle  meant  business.  Some  members  met  early 
in  the  morning,  and  worked  all  day.  Ellinor  Payne, 


THE  SEWING-CIRCLE.  «S1 

who  is  employed  in  a  tailor's  shop  at  Piper's  Mills, 
gave  fifteen  dollars  of  her  own  earnings.  The  enthu 
siasm  increased.  Did  any  \vavcr  in  the  faith,  influ 
enced  by  doubting  men,  Nanny  Joe  and  Nanny 
Moses  were  ready  to  encourage  and  sustain.  Nanny 
Joe  and  Nanny  Moses  were  eloquent  to  persuade, 
ingenious  to  devise,  skilful  to  contrive,  and  untiring 
in  their  labors.  They  fired  the  ambition  of  every 
woman  in  the  place.  They  took  that  chapel  (the 
chapel  that  was  to  be),  and  resolved  it  into  its 
constituent  parts,  —  its  doors,  windows,  timbers, 
boards,  nails  even,  and  induced  different  individuals 
to  be  responsible  for,  say,  a  bundle  of  shingles,  a 
window,  a  door,  a  stick  of  timber.  Young  and  old 
caught  the  fever.  Little  girls  vied  with  each  other 
in  earning  panes  of  glass.  Blooming  maidens  took 
upon  their  shoulders  clapboards,  laths,  and  kegs  of 
nails.  Matrons  bore  bravely  their  respective  burdens 
of  beams,  rafters,  and  flooring  ;  and  one  cheerful  old 
grandame,  a  steadfast  knitter,  smiled  under  the 
weight  of  the  desk. 

The  little  girls  earned  their  money  by  running  of 
errands,  and  picking  huckleberries,  and  making 
patchwork  cradle-quilts  to  sell.  The  older  ones 
also  picked  huckleberries.  When  the  season  was 
at  its  height,  the  circle  met  in  the  pastures,  and 


32  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

picked  its  pecks  and  its  bushels.  The  berries  were 
sent  to  Piper's  Mills  to  be  sold.  If  there  were  no 
other  way  of  sending  them,  Nanny  Joe  and  Nanny 
Moses  would  take  Mr.  David's  old  red  horse  and  go 
themselves.  Mr.  David  Melend}-  committed  himself 
at  the  very  beginning,  by  a  promise,  which,  though 
made  in  jest,  was  claimed  in  terrible  earnest,  as 
the  old  man  found  to  his  cost. 

"  I'll  agree  to  find  horse  and  cart  to  cart  all  the 
work  the}-'!!  get,"  said  Mr.  David  sarcastically, 
when  he  first  heard  of  the  sewing-circle.  His  nar 
row  vision  took  in  Tweenit  village  only,  where  each 
family  generally  does  its  own  needlework.  But 
there  were  eyes  of  a  wider  range,  —  far-seeing  eyes, 
which  saw  the  "store"  at  Piper's  Mills,  whereat 
were  left  weekly,  by  an  agent  from  the  city,  huge 
bundles  of  sidp-work  and  stocking-work  for  the 
sewers  and  knitters  of  that  neighborhood.  The 
sewing-circle  obtained  one  of  these  bundles,  and 
did  its  work  so  well  that  the  agent  not  only 
promised  it  more  bundles,  but  heaped  bundles 
upon  it ;  so  that  Nanny  Joe  had  frequent  oppor 
tunities  of  going  to  Mr.  David,  and  saj'ing,  with 
a  mischievous  twinkle  of  her  laughing  black  eyes, 
' '  More  work  to  cart,  Mr.  Melendy  !  " 

"  Wai,  wal,  Nancy,"  that  victim  of  his  own  jest 


THE  SEWING-CIRCLE.  3o 

would   reply,  "  I'll  .stau'   by  my  word.     But  yon 
must  help  me  ketch  him." 

This  is  not  so  very  difficult  a  task  ;  for  that  fat  old 
horse  of  his  would  as  soon  be  caught  as  not  to  be. 
Whether  he  goes  or  stands  still  is  all  one  to  him, 
and  nearly  so  to  his  driver.  For  calmness,  for 
meekness,  for  sublime  indifference,  Mr.  David's 


"3 


animal  would  take  the  medal.  As  ma}-  be  imagined, 
he  is  a  very  even  horse  to  drive ;  never  allows  him 
self  to  be  disturbed  by  outside  influences,  but  jogs 
heavih  on,  with  a  flop  and  a  plunge,  unmoved  by 
word  or  blow. 

"  Speak  of  the  ancient  Nicholas,"  says  the 
proverb,  "  and  you  will  see  his  horns."  And,  in 
confirmation  of  it,  behold  this  identical  animal 


34  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

now  approaching  the  house,  shaking  all  over  at 
every  flop,  as  if  he  were  a  horse  of  jelly.  Nanny 
Joe  and  Nanny  Moses  have  just  driven  from  Piper's 
Mills  with  some  bundles  of  work.  Nanny  Moses 
holds  up  a  letter.  Her  fair,  round  face  reminds 
me  of  Mrs.  Fennel's  favorite  expression,  "  Smiling 
as  a  basket  of  chips."  Thirty-seven  or  thirty-eight 
they  say  is  her  age.  The}'  also  say  that  she  holds 
her  own  pretty  well,  which  is  saying  a  good  deal ; 
for  "her  own"  must  weigh  a  hundred  and  fifty,  at 
the  least.  Anybody  might  know  those  two  would 
be  intimate,  the}'  are  so  unlike.  Nanny  Joe  is 
tall,  slender;  has  coal-black  hair,  coal-black  eyes, 
a  sallow  complexion,  and  a  chin  unnecessarily  long. 
She  is  pleasing  and  sprightly ;  her  friend,  pleasing 
and  quiet. 

Now  joyful  shouts  uprise.  There  is  money  in  the 
letter.  David  Melendy,  junior,  has  sent  twenty 
dollars.  These  women  leave  no  stone  unturned.  A 
few  months  ago,  one  of  them,  while  on  a  visit  to 
the  city,  called  upon  all  Twecnit-born  individuals 
there  residing,  and  by  appealing  to  their  pride, 
their  generosity,  or  their  piety,  as  suited  -each  case, 
obtained  various  sums  to  help  the  cause  along. 
Tweenitites  dwelling  afar,  amid  Sitka's  snows  or 
California's  golden  sands,  were  appealed  to  through 


THE  SEWING-CIRCLE.  35 

the  United-States  mail ;  and  the  letter  just  received 
is  in  answer  to  one  of  those  appeals.  It  comes 
from  Sitka  ;  and  Nanny  Joe  says  the  money  is  the 
profits  arising  from  a  rise  in  white  bears.  I  was 
present  the  other  day  at  the  reading  of  a  letter 
addressed  to  one  Mr.  Ezra  Fennel,  which  must  stir 
the  depths  of  Mr.  Ezra  Fennel's  heart,  if  not  of  his 
pocket-book.  Men's  monej7,  after  all?  Well,  sols 
the  gold  in  a  gold-mine  the  gold-mine's  gold.  There 
is  a  great  deal  in. knowing  how  to  work  a  mine,  and 
a  great  deal  in  knowing  how  to  work  a  pocket-book. 
Now  that  the  Sitka  excitement  is  over,  and  the 
circle  is  subsiding  into  its  natural  state,  I  will  take 
a  few  notes  of  the  conversation.  They  ma}'  throw 
some  light  on  the  subject  of  my  present  inquiries. 
Woman,  I  perceive,  displays  mind  enough,  both  at 
home  and  abroad  ;  and  now  I  want  to  find  out  upon 
what  kind  of  subjects  her  mind  ordinarily  dwells. 


THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 


V. 

NOTES  TAKEN  AT  THE  SEWING-CIRCLE. 

T  as  a  listener,  but  as  an  investigator,  inves 
tigating  the  ver}-  important  subject  of  domes 
tic  affairs.  Why  not  call  it  a  scientific  subject? 
Why  not  found  a  smnll  science  of  nry  own  here  in 
this  out-of-the-way  place?  The  v/ise  ones,  the  ones 
that  own  the  big  sciences,  won't  know  aivy  thing 
about  it ;  and,  if  they  do,  they  won't  try  to  get  mine 
away  from  me,  having  so  many  heavenly  bodies, 
motive-powers,  the  forces  of  Nature,  and,  in  fact,  all 
created  things,  to  attend  to. 

My  science  has  the  forces  of  Nature  in  it  too 
(human  nature) ,  and  a  motive-power.  Their  motive 
powers  act  on  machinery ;  mine  acts  on  human 
beings.  It  is  the  power  by  which  woman  "  carries 
on  the  family ;  "  and  I  have  seen  for  myself  that 
there  is  a  "  power  of  it"  used  in  some  families  ;  also 
that  it  can  be  turned  on,  as  the  factor}*  people  saj-, 
in  other  directions ;  in  that  of  chapel-building,  for 


NOTES   TAKEN  AT  THE  SEWING-CIRCLE.      37 

• 

instance.  Give  it  a  name  ;  call  it  mind-power ;  for 
it  is  a  combination  of  some  of  Nthe  highest  men 
tal  qualities.  Not  full}'  developed,  though ;  oh,  no  ! 
scarcely  begun  to  be  developed  yet. 

It  being  settled,  then,  that  woman  does  possess 
tins  motive-power  which  belongs  to  my  science,  and 
which  I  have  named  mind-power,  the  question  next 
arises,  Is  she  doing  all  she  can  with  it?  Is  none  of 
it  running  to  waste?  What  ideas,  apart  from  house 
hold  affairs,  take  up  her  mind  mostly?  It  was  to 
obtain  light  on  this  last  question,  that  I  resolved  to 
pay  attention  to  the  talk  at  the  sewing-circle.  I 
wished  to  take  the  level,  the  mental  level,  of  its 
members.  Their  conversation,  by  revealing  what 
subjects  chiefly  occupy  woman's  thoughts,  I  believed, 
would  give  me  some  idea  of  how  much  she  is  accom 
plishing  with  this  mind-power  of  hers. 

True,  Tweenitis  only  one  village  ;  but  it  is,  proba 
bly,  much  like  other  villages,  and  its  sewing-circle 
like  other  sewing-circles. 

NOTES   OP   CONVERSATION. 

AUNT  JINNY  UNDER  THE  HILL.  —  Aunt  Jinny  Pi 
per.  -  Destitute  old  woman.     Much  given  to  rheu 
matism.  Mainly  dependent  on  charity.    Might  make 
things  go  further.     No  calculation.     Slack.     Cloth 
4 


38 


THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 


given  her  not  cut  to  advantage.  Mouldy  bread  in  her 
cupboard.  Wore  an  apron  forenoons  good  enough  to 
wear  afternoons.  Used  white  pocket  handkerchiefs  : 
why  not  a  square  piece  of  old  calico  ?  Grandchild 
visits  her  too  often.  They  say  she  makes  her  rheu 
matism. 
AUNT  JINNY  DOWN  AT  THE  CRICK.  —  Another  Aunt 


Jinny  Piper.  Unmarried.  Well  off.  Chests  full  of 
sheets  and  pillow-cases.  Stingy.  Got  enough  of 
every  thing.  Might  clothe  Aunt  Jinny  under  the  hill 
just  as  well  as  not.  Ought  to  give  land  to  build 
chapel  on.  Great  for  beating  down  prices.  Paid 
man  that  spaded  up  her  garden  in  pumpkins.  Pump 
kins  overran  two  cents  :  told  man  he  must  bring  Lack 
the  skins  and  insides  for  her  pig,  to  make  it  all  square. 


NOTES  TAKEN  AT  THE  SEWrNG-CIRCLE.      39 

PLANNING.  —  ''Forecasting"  your  work.  Lying 
awake  nights  to  plan  how  next  day's  baking  shall 
be  worked  in  between  the  ironing  or  house-cleaning. 
Babies  make  it^so  you  can't  carry  out  your  plans. 
Best  not  to  take  much  notice  of  }*oung  children,  so 
the}-'!!  bear  "  turning  off." 

Mis  SUSAN.  —  Mis  Susan,  wife  of  Mr.  Henry 
Melendy.  Lives  in  Pickerel  Brook  neighborhood. 
Has  traded  shawls  with  a  peddler,  and  got  a  green 
one.  Don't  see  what  Mis  Susan  wants  of  a  green 
shawl.  Shouldn't  think  'twould  be  becoming  to  her. 
Her  shawl  was  a  beautiful  shawl.  Hadn't  had  it  a 
great  while.  Guess  she'll  be  sorry.  Don't  believe 
this  one's  all  wool. 

SPUING  o'  THE  YEAR.  —  Always  want  something 
sour  in  the  spring  o'  the  year.  Man  that  brings 
along  "Archangel  Bitters"  to  sell.  Some  say 
your  gall  runs  into  your  liver ;  more  likely  }Tour 
liver  runs  into  your  gall.  How  does  anybody 
know  ?  Dread  spring  o'  the  year.  Brings  so  much 
work  !  Nothing  to  make  pies  of.  Feel  lost  without 
pies.  Vinegar  mince-pies  better'n  no  mince-pies. 
Soak  your  cracker  in  your  vinegar.  Chop  your  rai 
sins.  Makes  beautiful  pies,  if  you  take  pains. 
What  my  husband  likes,  and  what  my  husband  likes. 
Children  ditto.  My  Ella  B.  won't  touch  molasses 


40  THE   SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

gingerbread.  My  Tommy'll  eat  his  weight  in  it» 
M}*  Abner  could  sit  up  all  night  to  eat  sausage- 
meat.  Sight  o'  work  to  make  sausage-meat.  Sight 
o*  work  to  cook  calf  s  head.  Want$  "  good  sweet 
pork  "  with  it.  Calves'  brains  make  beautiful  sauce. 
(Various  recipes  omitted.) 

HENRY  T. — Henry  T.  Rogers.  Young  man. 
Began  business  in  the  city,  and  failed.  Heniy  T. 
alwa3's  held  his  head  up  high.  Would  have  to  come 
down.  High-strung  all  that  family  were.  They  say 
he  has  bad  habits.  They  say  extravagance  did  it. 
They  say  (remainder  in  whispers) . 

FRED  AND  MARION.  —  A  pair  of  lovers.  They 
say  thc3''ve  broken  off'.  They  say  she's  written  him 
a  letter.  They  say  he  goes  with  another  girl. 
Dreadful  thing  to  Marion.  Probably  wear  her  into 
a  consumption.  They  say  she  cries  all  night. 
'Course  she'll  send  back  his  presents.  Gold  ring, 
worth  how  much  ?  Some  of  his  presents  worn  out, 
Wonder  how  his  father's  property'll  be  divided. 

FENNEL  PAYNE  AND  ADELINE.  —  Fennel  Pa3'ne, 
a  young  married  man,  distantly  related  to  the  Fen 
nels  and  the  Paynes.  Has  wife  (Adeline)  and 
small  child.  Adeline  stuck  up.  Always  was  stuck 
up.  Has  strange  notions.  Both  of  'em  have  strange 
notions.  Spent  five  dollars  for  a  picture.  No  great 


NOTES   TAKEN  AT   THE  SEWING-CPRCLE.      4] 

things  of  a  picture.  Adeline  sits  down  to  read  in 
the  daytime.  They  go  to  take  walks  together.  Go 
up  on  the  hill  and  sit  down  sometimes.  Funny 
actions  for  married  folks. 

HOW     ARE     YOU     GOIXG      TO      HAVE      YOUR     DRESS 

MADE? — (Notes  omitted.  Reason,  unfamiliar! ty 
with  terms  used.) 

The  above  is  a  small  part  of  what  was  taken 
clown  in  my  note-book. 

Summary  of  observations  made  up  to  date  in 
Tweenit  Village :  — 

First,  that  woman  works  hard  physically,  works 
very  hard,  and  with  not  much  respite. 

Second,  that  in  u  carrying  on  the  family"  (this  is 
a  very  common  phrase  here),  —  in  "carrying  on 
the  family,"  and  in  various  ways,  she  displays  men 
tal  qualities  of  a  high  order. 

Third,  that  in  working  so  hard,  or  in  as  far  as 
she  works  so  hard,  merely  to  gratify  the  palate,  she  is 
spending  herself  physically  for  an  unworthy  end. 

Fourth,  that  her  mind-power  is  running  to  waste 
in  the  same  direction ;  also  in  other  directions,  as 
is  shown  by  the  not  very  high  tone  of  her  conversa 
tion.  4* 


42  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 


VI. 

PEBBLES,   OR  DIAMONDS? 

T  "  DREAMED  a  dream  that  was  not  all  a  dream," 
•*~  — dreamed  of  seeing  a  vast  company  of  women, 
a  multitude  whom  no  man  could  number,  all  ear 
nestly  engaged  in  picking  up  —  pebbles.  Gems  of 
priceless  value  lay  scattered  everywhere  around  ;  but 
these  were  passed  by  unnoticed.  "Foolish  crea 
tures  !  Why  don't  they  leave  the  pebbles,  and  take 
the  diamonds  ?  "  I  cried. 

There  was  a  reason  for  my  dreaming  such  a 
dream.  I  went  to  Piper's  Mills  the  other  da}-,  to 
carry  a  bundle  of  "  circle-work"  for  Nanny  Joe.  I 
took  Mr.  David's  horse,  and,  while  there,  called  on 
an  acquaintance  of  mine,  —  Mrs.  Royal.  A  couple 
of  her  neighbors  had  dropped  in  to  tea  that  after 
noon  ;  and  1  was  cordially  invited  to  stay. 

"  If  you  don't  mind  being  the  only  gentleman," 
said  Mrs.  Royal.  I  replied  most  gallantly  that  it 
would  give  me  the  greatest  pleasure  to  be  placed  in 


'PEBBLES,  OR  DIAMONDS?  43 

so  enviable  a  minorit}* ;  all  the  while  saj-ing  to  my 
self  most  "  scientifically,"  Three  new  specimens. 
Observe  mental  habits.  Compare  with  those  of  sew 
ing-circle  members.  More  light  on  domestic  science. 
{My  science  has  a  name  noiu.) 

I  knew  something  of  Mrs.  Royal  and  her  friends  ; 
and  that  they  differed  in  man}^  respects  from  the 
majority  of  women.  When,  therefore,  the  tea-table 
talk  began,  I  prepared  to  listen  with  interest,  be 
lieving  that  my  new  specimens,  though  of  the 
same  class  as  my  Tweenit  friends,  — that  is,  neither 
poorer  nor  richer,  —  would  prove  to  be  a  different 
species. 

The  talk  ran  first  on 

TEA-ROSES.  —  So  fragrant !  so  beautiful !  Beau 
tiful?  Why,  the  beauty  of  even  one  half-opened 
bud  was  too  much  to  take  in.  Article  in  the  news 
papers  speaking  of  a  beauty  which  makes  "  sense 
ache."  Damask-roses  going  out  of  fashion.  Wild 
roses  in  June  reddening  the  wayside  banks.  Fra 
grance  of  the  sweet-brier,  of  the  trailing  arbutus. 
Flowers  of  spring,  and  their  haunts.  Pleasure  of 
giving  and  of  receiving  flowers. 

ANECDOTES  OF  THE  FLOWER-MISSIONS  IN  THE 
CITIES. — Beautiful  "  mission,"  that  of  sending  flow- 


44  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S    TRUXK. 

ers  to  the  sick-beds  of  the  poor.  What  is  being 
done  in  various  places  for  the  poor,  the  ignorant, 
the  degraded,  and  the  friendless.  It  is  beginning 
to  be  understood  that  we  are  all  of  one  family.  Will 
the  time  ever  come  when  this  family  feeling  shall 
unite  the  nations  ? 

THE  WAR-SPIRIT.  —  How  shall  it  be  done  awa}-? 
Influence  of  battle-pictures  and  battle-stories  on  the 
young.  Some  of  the  principal  studies  in  schools  and 
colleges  are  histories  of  battles.  Pictures  of  military 
commanders  in  almost  every  house.  How  does  all 
this  affect  the  coming  of  the  time  when  swords  shall 
be  beaten  into  ploughshares  ? 

IMPORTANCE  OF  BRINGING  GOOD  INFLUENCES  TO 
BEAR  ON  CHILDREN.  —  Obedience  from  children. 
How  to  secure  it,  and  at  the  same  time  encourage 
in  them  a  proper  degree  of  self-reliance.  Best  ways 
of  developing  the  good  that  is  in  children.  Educat 
ing  the  heart  as  well  as  the  head.  Importance  of 
physical  health.  When  children,  as  they  grow  up, 
"  go  wrong,"  who  is  responsible? 

ALLEN  WENTWORTH.  — A  young  man  who  "  went 
wrong."  Dissipated.  Inherited  love  of  drink.  Is 
it  for  us  who  inherited  no  such  tendency  to  con 
demn  him?  Mental  and  moral  qualities  handed 
down.  Shall  the  "born  good  "despise  the  "born 


PEEBLES,    OR   DIAMONDS*  45 

bad  "  ?  Allen  Wentworth  like  character  in  a  novel 
recently  read  by  one  of  the  company.  Other  novels 
and  other  characters  spoken  of. 

BOOKS  AND  AUTHORS  GENERALLY.  — Funny  scenes 
recounted  and  laughed  at.  Heroes  and  heroines 
discussed.  Beautiful  passages  quoted. 

DESCRIPTIONS  OF  NATURAL  SCENERY.  —  Woods  in 
spring.  In  fall.  Shadows  on  the  grass.  Waving  of 
corn  and  grain.  Sunsets.  Sunrises. 

We  remained  together  for  three  or  four  hours, 
during  which  time  I  took  notes,  mentally,  of  the 
ideas  expressed  by  different  members  of  the  company. 
I  have  put  these  notes  upon  paper  in  such  a  way  as 
to  show  pretty  nearly  the  course  of  the  conversation, 
and  how  naturally  one  thing  led  to  another. 

During  my  ride  home  I  had  ample  opportunity, 
thanks  to  the  peculiar  temperament  of  Mr.  David's 
horse,  of  comparing  this  conversation  with  that  to 
which  I  had  listened  at  the  sewing-circle.  And 
what  a  difference !  Why,  that  first  one  was  so 
trivial,  so  aimless,  with  its  never-ending  gossip,  I 
actually  felt  myself  growing  smaller  while  hearing  it. 

And  I  could  but  compare  the  two  ways  in  which 
the  two  sets  of  talkers  handled  the  same  subjects. 
For  instance,  "  spring  o'  the  year"  was  mentioned 


46  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

by  the  first  merely  as  a  time  of  house-cleaning, 
and  a  dearth  of  pie-material.  The  second  talked  of 
spring  flowers  and  spring  tm'ds,  of  leaves  bursting, 
and  swamps  awaking.  Children  were  discussed  by 
the  first  set,  chiefly,  I  think,  with  regard  to  what 
they  liked  to  eat,  or  to  whether,  individually,  they 
were  or  were  not  ' '  hard  on  their  clothes  ; "  at  any 
rate,  there  was  no  interchange  of  ideas  concerning 
the  right  way  of  bringing  them  up.  The  second 
spoke  of  children  as  immortal  beings,  the  training  of 
whom  called  for  a  mother's  best  endeavors.  Even 
in  talking  about  their  neighbors  there  was  a  differ 
ence.  Many  members  of  the  sewing-circle  seemed 
rather  to  enjoy  the  downfall  of  Henry  T.,  —  some 
even  to  exult  over  it.  ,  Allen  Wentworth,  on  the 
contrary,  was  tenderly  spoken  of  by  Mrs.  Royal  and 
her  friends  ;  and  the  causes  of  his  wrong-doing  were 
thoughtfully  considered. 

Then,  again,  there  was  a  difference  in  the  kinds 
of  enjoyment  with  which  the  two  sets  of  people  en 
joyed  their  conversations ;  that  of  the  last  being 
infinitely  higher.  "  How  charming  !  "  "  Now,  isn't 
that  grand !  "  "  What  a  beautiful  idea  ! "  they  ex 
claimed,  now  and  then,  as  some  heart-stirring  pas 
sage  was  repeated.  The  face  of  each  listener  or 
speaker  would  light  up  with  pleasure  ;  and  the  eyes 


PEBBLES,    OR  DIAMONDS?         •  47 

would  tell  that  lier  very  soul  was  enjoj'iug  itself.  I 
could  but  remember,  then,  Adeline,  Fennel  Payne's 
wife,  who  was  blamed  by  some  of  the  circle  for  "  sit 
ting  down  to  read  iu  the  daytime ;  "  as  if  daytime 
were  only  made  for  rolling  out  pastry,  sewing 
dresses,  and  the  like.  And  when  that  tea-table  talk 
ran  on  flowers  and  birds,  woods,  waters,  glorious 
sunsets,  and  all  the  wonderful  "  out-doors,"  I  again 
remembered  Fennel  Paj-ne  and  Adeline,  and  how 
they  had  been  ridiculed  for  "  taking  walks,"  and 
"  sitting  down  upon  the  hill." 

The  ridicule,  I  thought,  and  still  think,  should  be 
turned  the  other  way.  They  are  the  ones  to  be  ridi 
culed,  who  shut  themselves  in  behind  lath  and 
plaster,  and  there  scrub,  sew,  and  cook,  cook,  sew, 
and  scrub,  scarcely  noticing  the  wondrous  show 
which  each  season,  in  turn,  prepares  for  them. 
Flowers  may  bloom,  trees  may  wave,  brooks  may 
ripple,  the  whole  earth  blossom  into  beauty ;  but 
they  take  no  heed.  It  really  does  seem  like  slighting 
the  gifts  which  God  has  bestowed. 

There  is  much  to  admire  and  to  reverence  in  these 
women  of  Tweenit.  They  are,  generally  speaking, 
just  as  bright  and  just  as  good  as  my  friends  at 
Piper's  Mills.  The  point  is,  that  they  do  not,  or 
the  majority  of  them  do  not,  like  those  friends  of 


Til K  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 


mine,  get  the  best  out  of  life.  Their  energies  are 
spent  chiefly  on  physical,  not  mental  needs.  Their 
talk  is  trivial.  Nature  is  almost  a  dead  loss  to  them. 
While  others  are  enjoying,  through  books,  communion 
with  the  noblest  minds,  they  are  taken  up  with  the 
petty  concerns  of  their  neighbors.  While  others  seek 
for  knowledge  worth  the  knowing,  they  are  satisfied 

'•  I  fc\ 

li  inK-^;.;^ 


to  learn  that  some  "•  Mis  biibuu "  or  o.hei:  has 
"  swapped  shawls."  And  what  is  true  of  Tweenit  is 
pretty  likely  to  be  true  of  other  places.  Then  there 
is  another  class,  not  3-et  considered,  the  butterfly 
class,  who  give  their  attention  chiefly  to  plumage. 
Ah,  there  must  be  a  vast  compairy  of  women,  a 
multitude  whom  no  man  can  number,  who  pick  tip 
pebbles,  and  leave  the  diamonds  ! 

How  is  it  with  the  "  men- folks,"  in  this  respect? 


KINDLING-WOOD.  49 


VII. 

KINDLING-WOOD. 

"  T  ISTENERS  never  hear  any  good  of  them- 
-*— ^  selves."  It  is  really  unfair,  however,  to  rank 
myself  in  so  unworthy  a  class.  No  mean  listener  I, 
but  an  earnest  inquirer,  seeking  light  on  any  and 
every  branch  of  domestic  science. 

Votaries  of  the  great  sciences,  it  is  said,  while 
pursuing  their  studies  with  a  vie>v  to  some  particular 
facts  or  truths,  often  stumble  upon  others  which  are 
quite  as  important.  And  in  like  manner  a  few  days 
since,  while  continuing  my  observations  on  the  men 
tal  status  of  the  women  of  Tweenit  village,  did  I 
stumble  upon  some  facts  in  regard  to  the  opposite 
sex,  which  are  really  worth  attending  to,  and  which, 
at  the  time,  reminded  me  of  the  proverb  about 
listeners ;  for  I  had  the  mortification  —  it  was  one 
day  when  Mrs.  Melendy  and  a  few  of  the  neighbors 
dropped  in  to  help  Mrs.  Fennel  quilt  —  of  hearing 
man  discussed  in  his  capacity  of  light-wood  provider. 
4 


50  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

"Men-folks"  as  kindling-splitters!  Are  hus 
bands,  sons,  and  brothers  ready  for  the  question? 
Have  they  clear  consciences  on  this  point?  How 
many  can  fearlessly  invoke  the  spirit  of  free  inquiry  ? 

"  And  no\v  you're  married,  you  must  be  good, 
And  keep  your  wife  in  kindlinc/-wood," 

runs  the  old  rhyme.  A  wise  injunction,  but  one 
not  universally  obeyed  ;  that  is,  if  the  husbands  of 
Tweenit  are  representative  men  in  this  respect. 
The  heart-rending  experiences  which  were  related 
that  da}" !  —  the  anxieties,  perplexities,  calamities, 
agonies !  all  of  which  might  have  been  averted  by 
"  light  wood,"  as  some  of  them  call  it. 

One  sufferer  took  a  "  sight  o'  pains"  with  her  cake, 
"separated"  the  eggs,  "braided"  the  sugar  and 
butter ;  but  —  it  fell.  Green  pine  was  its  ruin. 
Miss  Janet's  dumplings  "  riz  right  up,  light  as  a 
feather,  the  first  of  it,  but  came  out  soggy  ;  and  all 
for  lack  of  a  little  flash  under  the  pot."  Another 
"  had  out-of-town  company  come  unexpected  one 
daj* ;  and,  because  there  was  no  light  wood  on  hand 
to  start  up  a  fire  in  the  front-room,  they  had  to  sit 
right  down  in  the  kitchen,  and  see  every  thing  that 
was  going  on."  Mrs.  Melendy's  (Mary  Melendy's) 
Dicky  was  taken  ill  in  the  night ;  and  there  was  an 


KINDLING-WOOD.  51 

agonizing  delay  in  steeping  the  "  seeny,"  on  account 
of  Mr.  Melendy's  having  forgotten  to  "  split  t-he 
kindling  over  night." 

And  so  on,  and  so  on.  Men  were  always  apt  to 
forget  the  kindling,  Mrs.  Melendy  said,  but  always 
expected  their  dinner,  ivhatever  ;  and  expected  light 
victuals  from  green  pine- wood  !  Light  wood  made 
heavy  wood  go  better.  Men  didn't  understand 
how  tried  a  woman  was  Avith  worrying  over  her  fire, 
and  with  not  having  things  convenient. 

Here  the  talk  diverged,  and  ran  upon  things  con 
venient  that  each  would  like  to  have.  One  wanted 
a  slide-door  cut  through  into  the  buttery,  to  save 
running  all  the  way  round  with  the  dishes  ;  another, 
an  oil-carpet,  to  save  washing  floor  ;  another,  netting 
in  every  window  and  outside  door,  to  save  "  fighting 
Hies  ; "  another,  stationary  tubs,  with  pipes  to  let  the 
water  in  and  out,  such  heavy  work,  lifting  tubs  ! 
another  would  have  a  washer  and  wringer ; 
another,  water  let  into  her  sink  ;  and  still  another 
wanted  her  sink-room  floor  raised  up  level  with  the 
kitchen,  it  made  her  back  ache  so  to  keep  stepping 
up  and  down  all  the  time ! 

And,  from  things  convenient,  they  went  to  things 
pleasant,  that  "'twould  be  so  nice  to  have!" 
Among  these  were  mentioned  canary-birds,  a  me- 


52  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

lodeon,  a  magazine,  Madame  Demorest's  Monthty,  a 
set  of  handsome  furniture,  lots  of  pictures,  a  window 
built  out  for  keeping  plants  through  the  winter,  a 
bathing-room,  a  set  of  furs,  a  whole  barrel  of  lem 
ons  and  oranges,  a  lavender-colored  poplin  dress ; 
and  one  of  the  company  would  like  to  take  a  little 
journey. 

I  observed  that  these  conveniences  and  pleasures 
were  spoken  of  in  a  jesting,  almost  sarcastic  tone, 
as  if  the  likelihood  of  obtaining  them  were  about 
equal  to  that  of  obtaining  the  crown-jewels  of  Eng 
land.  In  regard  to  the  first,  the  conveniences, 
"  My  husband  can't  afford  it,"  was  a  phrase  used  so 
often,  as  to  set  me  to  thinking,  and  that  quite  seri 
ously.  These  domestic  phrases  all  have  a  bearing 
on  my  present  studies. 

"Can't  afford  it!"  Now,  it  is  a  question  well 
worth  considering,  what  are  the  things  to  be  afforded. 

In  the  first  place,  what  is  our  most  j>recious  pos 
session,  the  best  worth  having,  the  best  worth  sav 
ing?  Why,  life,  to  be  sure!  "All  that  a  man 
hath  will  he  give  for  his  life."  "  Any  thing  to  save 
life  "  is  a  remark  frequently  heard. 

The  next  point  that  I  wish  to  make  is,  that  a  wo 
man  who  overworks  sacrifices  her  life.  I  have  heard 
women  speak  of  being  so  tired  they  could  not  sleep, 


KINDL  ING  -  WOOD.  53 

but  la}'  all  night  with  "nerves  a-trembling,"  and 
rose  in  the  morning  nn  refreshed.  Now,  no 
human  being  can  live  long  in  such  a  condition  as 
that.  Well,  then,  if  overwork  kills,  whatever  saves 
work  saves  life.  Life  is  the  most  precious  posses 
sion  :  therefore,  money  spent  in  saving  work  is 
money  well  spent ;  and  the  answer  to  our  question 
,  is,  that  conveniences  are  the  things  to  be  afforded. 

But  men,  that  is,  many  men,  do  not  consider  the 
subject  in  this  light.  Apparently,  those  women 
were  right  in  saying  that  a  man  "  don't  understand  " 
how  "tried"  a  woman  is  with  not  having  things 
convenient.  Apparently,  men  "don't  understand" 
that  such  words  as  "  backache,"  "  headache,"  "  ner 
vous,"  "  trembling,"  mean  wearing  out. 

I  recollect  several  cases  in  which  a  husband  let 
himself  be  importuned  for  some  "  convenience," 
week  after  week,  and  granted  it  at  last  with  the 
bearing  of  a  person  doing  an  inestimable  favor ;  as 
if  he  were  an  outside  party,  having  no  interest  in  the 
affair  at  all.  I  believe,  that  if  Mr.  Fennel  should 
provide  Mrs.  Fennel  with  "stationary  tubs,  with 
pipes  to  let  the  water  in  and  out," — tubs,  mind, 
in  which  to  wash  his  own  clothes, — he  would 
consider  himself  entitled  to  her  everlasting  grati 
tude.  At  auj-  rate,  I  see  that  whenever  a  wash- 


54  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

erwoman  is  hired,  the  money  to  pay  her  comes 
hard,  as  hard  as  lifting  the  tubs  does  to  Mrs.  Fen 
nel  and  Martha. 

I  have  a  friend,  who,  after  his  wife  really  had  been 
injured  by  bringing  water  from  a  well,  did  at  last, 
by  reason  of  her  importunity,  put  a  pump  in  the  sink. 
And,  ever  since  that  great  job  was  accomplished, 


whenever  she  asks  for  any  thing  which  can  possibly 
be  done  without,  "  that  pump  "  serves  as  an  excuse 
for  refusing.  Yes,  and  probably  "  that  pump"  will 
be  made  to  throw  cold  water  on  dress,  carpet, 
magazine,  or  melodeon  for  man}'  a  year  to  come. 

Now,  my  friend  was  interested  in '"  that  pump" 
just  as  much  as  his  wife,  only  she  never  had  allowed 


KINDL  ING  -  WOOD.  55 

him  to  find  it  out.  If,  when  the  pailful  he  brought 
in  the  morning  —  and  which  he  "  didn't  understand" 
why  it  should  not  last  all  day — was  used  up,  if  then 
she  had  let  the  dinner  stop  cooking,  why,  that  would 
have  made  him  "  understand."  But,  instead  of 
doing  this,  she  went  to  the  well  herself,  knowing 
that  he  would  "expect  his  dinner,  whatever,"  to 
quote  Mrs.  Melendy. 

And  observation  has  shown  me  that  the  majority 
of  men,  both  in  Tweenit  and  out  of  Tweenit,  expect 
a  great  deal  of  women  "-whatever."  The}'  expect 
a  woman  will  always  be  good-natured  ;  will  keep  the 
whole  house  in  order ;  will  let  nothing  be  wasted ; 
will  bear  to  be  found  fault  with ;  will  never  find 
fault ;  will  have  the  children  look  neat ;  will  cook 
three  meals  a  day ;  will  always  have  light  bread  ; 
will  wash  and  iron,  make  and  mend,  entertain  com 
pany,  and,  if  possible,  get  along  without  hired  help. 
Yet  they  do  not,  as  a  general  thing,  exert  them 
selves  overmuch  to  provide  her  with  conveniences, 
still  less  with  pleasures.  Really,  this  is  something 
like  "  expecting  light  victuals  from  green  pine- 
wood  " ! 

And,  now  I  think  of  it,  I  wonder  if  there  be  not 
in  the  lives  of  some  women  too  much  "green- 
pine;"  if  some  husbands  don't  "forget  the  kin- 


56  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

dling  "  all  the  \vay  through.  Mrs.  Melendy  said  that 
"light  wood"  would  make  the  heavy  wood  go 
better.  I  wonder  if  a  little  "  light  wood  "  now  and 
then,  in  the  shape  of  a  pleasure-trip,  or  of  books, 
music,  conveniences,  sets  of  furs,  and  prett}-  things 
in  the  house,  or  even  of  an  appreciative  or  com 
mendatory  word,  would  not  make  woman's  heavy 
burden  of  work  go  better. 


MR.   MCKIMBER  RISES   TO  EXPLAIN.  57 


VIII. 

MR.    MCKIMBER   RISES    TO   EXPLAIN. 

~V7~ES,  there  is  too  much  "  green  pine  "  in  the  lives 
~*~  of  some  women  ;  but  then,  on  the  other  hand, 
there  is  equall}-  too  much  "  light  wood  "  in  the  lives 
of  others.  Mrs.  Fennel  remarked,  in  the  course  of 
the  kindling  conversation,  that  sometimes  her  wood 
pile  would  be  all  "  logs  and  sog,"  and  next  thing 
'twould  be  all  "  light  stuff,"  and  that  what  3-011  want 
is  to  have  both  together.  You  want  good  solid  wood 
to  keep  the  fire  agoing ;  and  you  want  dry  pine  to 
make  a  flash.  1  gathered  from  the  talk,  however, 
that  this  ideal  wood-pile  is  seldom  found  in  Tweenit. 
"•  If  they  could  all  be  shaken  up  together,"  said  Mrs. 
Melendy,  meaning  wood-piles,  "  they  would  all  come 
out  about  right."  And  I  suppose  it  is  somewhat  so 
with  the  lives  of  women.  Some  are  mostly  "  green 
pine  ; "  and  some  are  mostty  "  light  stiuT:"  if  the}' 
all  could  be  shaken  up  together,  they  all  would  come 
out  about  right. 


58  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TROXK. 

No  concern  of  mine?  Why  do  I  interest  myself 
so  much  in  woman's  life  and  woman's  work  ?  Attend 
to  my  own  affairs?  Why,  that  is  jnst  what  I  am 
doing.  I  have  discovered  from  m}T  late  course  of 
reading  that  woman  is  my  "  affair."  Am  I  not,  as 
one  of  the  dominant  sex,  placed  in  authority  over 
her?  Are  not  her  interests  in  my  keeping?  Have 
I  not,  with  others  like  me,  to  make  the  laws  which 
govern  her  ?  and  to  see  that  she  obe}-s  them  ?  and  to 
punish  her,  if  she  does  not?  and  to  regulate  the  taxes 
on  her  property  ?  and  to  say  what  studies  she  may 
pursue,  and  what  profession,  if  any,  she  may  adopt? 

And,  more  than  all  this,  I  have,  to  some  degree, 
the  care  of  her  conscience.  For  instance,  if  she  be 
doubtful  as  to  the  wrongfulness  of  her  rising  to  speak 
in  praj-er-meeting,  or  in  the  pulpit,  or  on  the  plat 
form,  it  is  m}*  province  to  decide  for  her.  And,  as 
she  is  intellectually  unable  to  interpret  what  the 
Scriptures  have  to  say  on  this  point,  it  is  my  clearer 
head,  as  one  of  the  clearer  heads  of  the  dominant 
sex,  which  must  bring  out  the  meaning,  and  place  it 
where  she  can  see  it.  And  if,  after  being  thus  mor- 
all}-  and  intellectually  enlightened,  the  Spirit  move 
her  so  strongly,  that  she  must  rise  and  speak,  then 
I,  with  others  in  authoritj-,  must  compel  her  to 
silence.  Woman?  She  doesn't  know  what  is  best 


MR.    MCKIMBER  RISES   TO  EXPLAIN.  59 

for  herself.  She  doesn't  know,  in  all  cases,  right 
from  wrong.  Fortunately,  she  has  in  man  an  un 
erring  guide. 

My  own  affairs  indeed !  It  is  the  affair  of  all  in 
authority,  I  should  think,  to  acquaint  themselves 
with  the  condition  of  their  subjects,  in  order  to 
legislate  wisely,  and  above  all  justly.  Some  of  those 
old  Eastern  rulers,  I  believe,  used  to  go  among  their 
people  in  disguise,  for  this  very  purpose.  Well, 
so  am  I  a  ruler  in  disguise,  acquainting  nryseif 
with  the  condition  of  those  over  whom  I  am 
set  in  authority ;  and  my  disguise  is  the  robe  of 
indifference. 

And  besides  all  this,  besides  being  spiritual  ad 
viser,  instructor,  and  ruler,  I  may  (though  the  idea 
is  amusing,  and  its  fulfilment  by  no  means  prob 
able), —  I  ma}T,  it  is  not  impossible,  be  a  husband- 
also.  And  my  wife  may  ask  me  a  question.  She 
will,  if  she  is  good  ;  for,  if  there  be  one  single  plain 
text  of  Scripture,  it  is  that  which  bids  a  woman,  if 
she  wants  to  know  an}-  thing,  ask  her  husband  at 
home.  And  I,  for  one,  mean  to  take  some  notice 
of  women,  so  as  to  find  out  beforehand  what  manner 
of  questions  a  wife  will  be  likely  to  ask,  lest,  not 
having  my  answers  read}",  I  be  brought  to  shame. 
By  the  way,  does  not  educating  women  at  all  rather 


60 


THE  SCHOOLMASTKR'S   TRUNK. 


"  go  agin  that  text  o'  Scripter,"  to  use  Mr.  David's 
expression  ? 

Now  comes  still  another  consideration,  and  a 
very  serious  one.  It  is  certainly  my  business  to 
see  that  woman  is  fitted  for  the  training  of  chil 
dren,  because,  in  this  republican  country,  women's 


sons  will  all  help  to  rule  the  land.  Princes  of  ro3~al 
households,  it  is  well  known,  are  cai-ed  for  from 
their  births  with  the  utmost  solicitude.  Here  every 
farnilj-  is  a  royal  household,  and  every  boy  is  a 
prince.  Eveiy  girl  is  not  a  princess  ;  but  she  may 
become  the  mother  of  a  prince. 

Now,  who  has  the  charge  of  all  these  royal  chil- 


MR.   MCKfMBER   RISES   TO  EXPLAIN.  61 

dren  at  the  time  when  their  characters  are  forming? 
Who  gives  the  first  direction  to  the  minds  of  those 
who  will  in  time  control  the  affairs  of  our  country? 
Woman.  And  it  is  my  business  as  an  American 
citizen  to  learn  what  are  her  qualifications  for  an 
office  of  such  responsibility. 

It  was  this  last  consideration  which  induced  me 
to  listen  so  attentively  to  m}-  friends  at  Piper's 
Mills,  and  to  m}~  friends  at  the  sewing-circle,  when 
the  talk  ran  upon  children  ;  for  it  bore  directly  on 
a  theory  of  mine.  I  suppose  ever}*  scientist  has  a 
theory  connected  with  his  science.  My  theory 
connected  with  my  science  is  this  :  that  a  mother's 
chief  duty  is  the  taking  care  of  her  children.  I 
believe  that  she  should  prepare  herself  solemnly  for 
this  dutyt  and  that  she  should  have  ever}-  possible 
facility  for  its  performance. 

How  came  I  by  this  theory  ?  I  came  by  it  through 
the  newspapers.  I  never  took  up  one  that  did  not 
have  news  to  tell  of  dishonest  clerks,  corrupt 
officials,  of  drunkenness,  theft,  and  murder.  And 
I  would  say  to  n^'self,  "  Oh,  how  much  badness 
there  is  in  this  dear  country  !  And  how  do  so  many 
people  become  so  bad  ? " 

And  one  •  day  I  went,  with  my  theory  upon  me, 
into  Mrs.  Fennel's  kitchen,  where  I  found  the 
6 


62  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUXK. 

women-folk  in  a  state  of  great  consternation.  The 
cakes  were  all  fried  for  tea  ;  but  the  salt  had  been 
forgotten.  "Sprinkle  some  over  them,"  said  I; 
"'twill  strike  through,  won't  it?"  "Oh,  no!" 
said  Mrs.  Fennel.  "The  salt  must  be  mixed  into 
the  dough  at  the  beginning  of  it." 

"There,"  thought  I,  "that's  the  very  '  figure  of 
speech '  I  want !  Yes,  it  comes  just  right.  Let 
salt  stand  for  goodness,  and  dough  for  the  children. 
The  goodness  must  be  mixed  in  at  the  beginning 
of  it :  it  is  too  late  when  the  world  has  baked  the 
dough  up  into  men  and  women.  It  will  be  of  no 
use  then  sprinkling  it  on  outside :  it  won't  strike 
through.  All  this  illustrates  my  theory  exactly. 
Yes,  yes,  mix  it  in  at  the  beginning :  that's  it ! 
And  mothers  must  do  it." 

This  point  being  settled,  there  arise  three  ques 
tions ;  namely,  Is  she  qualified  for  this  duty?  Has 
she  facilities  for  performing  it?  Does  »she  feel  that 
it  is  her  chief  duty  ? 


"TURN  'EM   OFF."  63 


IX. 

"TURN  'EM  OFF." 

TT  was  because  I  had  my  theory  under  consider- 
•*••  ation,  —  the  theor}-  of  child-training  being  the 
chief  duty  of  a  mother,  —  that  I  was  so  much  im 
pressed  by  our  neighbor's  remark  concerning  the 
"three  meals."  "Now,  how  is  this?"  said  I  to 
nij-self.  "If  '  the  three  meals  take  about  all  day,' 
and  making  and  mending,  the  evening,  where  is  the 
children's  time  coming  from?" 

And,  indeed,  where  is  it  coming  from?  I  see  that 
they  get  scraps  of  attention,  when,  for  instance,  as  in 
Mrs.  Fennel's  case,  a  bit  of  a  sermon  is  thrown  at 
them  now  and  then  in  the  intervals  of  cooking,  but 
not  often  a  good  square  meal.  I  see  that  all  things 
else  are  attended  to  before  the  children ;  not 
meaning  before  they  are  clothed  and  fed,  but  before 
time  is  taken  to  talk  or  read  with  them.  I  see 
that  mothers  and  children  are,  in  a  measure,  stran 
gers  to  each  other  ;  that  they  have  too  little  oppor- 


64  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S  TRUNK. 

tunit}'  of  becoming  intimate.  I  see,  that,  with  the 
mothers  of  Tweenit,  life  is  one  prolonged  hurry. 
Feet  and  hands  are  hurrying  to  "  get  things  done." 
The  mind  is  ever  on  the  stretch,  planning  how  to 
"  get  things  done,"  or  fearing  things  will  not  "  get 
done  ;  "  and  things  do  not  "  got  done."  One  clay's 
work  laps  over  on  to  the  next,  one  week's  on  to  the 
next,  one  month's,  one  year's  ;  and  so  there  is  no 
pause,  no  let-down.  Rest,  quiet,  leisure,  are  here  un 
known  terms  with  the  mother  of  a  family  ;  yet  these 
are  just  what  a  mother  of  a  family  needs,  and  must 
have,  for  accomplishing  what  I  think  is  her  chief 
business  ;  for  this  business  of  hers  requires  thought, 
stud}',  earnest  preparation.  It  requires  the  mother. 
Yes,  it  requires  herself  personally. 

But  how  shall  the  children  of  Tweenit  get  their 
mothers,  or  the  mothers  their  children  ?  No  doubt 
both  would  enjoy  each  other's  nearer  acquaintance. 
I  remember  hearing  Mrs.  Melend}T  talk  one  day  to 
her  little  two  or  three  years  old  Rosa. 

"You  'ittle  peshious!"  she  said.  "Mother 
hasn't  had  you  in  her  arms  to-day.  Mother  will 
let  every  thing  go,  and  hold  3*011  a  little  while,  what 
ever  I " 

The  child  was  delighted.  Both  were  delighted. 
Thej-  hugged  each  other.  They  played  peekaboo ' 


"  TURN  'EM   OFF."  (55 

They  took  kisses  from  each  other's  lips;  and,  oh, 
what  a  good  time  they  had  !  It  lasted  nearly  five- 
minutes.  Little  Rosa  would  fain  have  been  held 
longer ;  but  mother  had  too  much  to  do.  The 
singular  part  of  it  was,  and  the  sorrowful  part,  that 
Mrs.  Melendy  appeared  to  consider  her  five  minutes' 
good  time  as  a  stolen  pleasure.  It  was  enjoyed 


with  the  feeling  that  she  ought  to  be  doing  some 
thing  else.  I  had  the  curiosity  to  wait  and  see 
what  that  something  else  was,  and  found  it  to  be 
lemon-pies. 

How  is  my  theory  going  to  work  in  Twcenit,  if 
mothers  have  to  steal  time  to  fondle  their  chil 
dren  ? 

o* 


66  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

I  came  across  a  story  the  other  day,  which,  con 
tained  an  excellent  moral,  well  convej'ed.  I  carried 
the  book  in  to  Mrs.  Melend}-,  and  said  to  her,  "This 
stor}-  is  exactly  the  thing  for  your  little  boj's.  You 
might  read  it  aloud  some  evening,  and  talk  it  over 
with  them." 

"  0  Mr.  McKimber!"  said  she,  "if  you  only 
knew  how  much  I've  got  to  do  !  Why,  I  can't  sleep 
nights  thinking  of  it !  " 

So  there  it  is  again.  And  how  is  nvy  theory 
to  work  in  Tweenit,  if  boys  must  go  away  fron 
home  for  their  amusements,  because  mothers  cannot 
even  steal  time  to  give  them  ? 

And  how  is  it  to  work  in  other  places,  and 
among  other  classes?  I  have  a  cousin  living  in 
Elmbridge.  She  keeps  help.  I  made  a  little  visit 
there  recentl}*,  one  object  of  which  was  to  learn 
whether  she  does  or  does  not  give  to  her  children 
the  leisure  thus  obtained.  She  does  not.  She  gives 
it  to  extras  in  the  way  of  cooking,  extras  in  the  \\ay 
of  house-adornments,  extras  in  the  wa}'  of  dress. 
By  way  of  test,  I  took  nvy  book  with  me,  and  pre 
sented  it  with  remarks  like  those  addressed  to  Mrs. 
Melendy  on  a  similar  occasion.  Her  answer  was 
almost  identical  with  that  of  Mrs.  Melendy  :  "  Oh, 
you  don't  know  how  much  I  have  to  do !  "  - 


"TURN  'EM   OFF."  67 

And  I  did  not  know.  I  could  form  no  idea  of  the 
labor  of  flouncing  that  "  suit."  It  had  already,  she 
assured  me,  taken  one  week's  sitting-down  time. 
My  theory  would  not  work  at,  Cousin  Sallie's.  Well, 
now,  thought  I,  just  for  the  curiosity  of  the  thing, 
let  me  try  what  are  called  the  highest  circles. 
There  is  one  family  in  the  highest  circles,  the 
Manchesters,  with  whom  I  am  on  visiting  terms. 
They  live  in  the  city.  They  keep  a  cook,  cham 
bermaid,  parlor-girl,  nursery-maid,  and  usually  a 
seamstress.  As  far  as  work  is  concerned,  Mrs. 
Manchester's  life  is  one  prolonged  state  of  leisure. 
Does  she  give  this  leisure  to  her  children  ?  She  does 
not :  she  gives  it  to  society.  I  thought  I  would  try 
the  "  book"  in  her  case,  and  did  so,  scarcely  able 
to  conceal  a  smile,  as  I  thought  how  little  she  ima 
gined  that  an  experiment  was  being  made  upon  her 
for  the  benefit  of  domestic  science.  I  said  a  few 
words,  as  on  the  two  former  occasions,  perhaps  en 
larging  rather  more  on  the  desirableness  of  mothers 
giving  their  children  more  of  themselves.  But  now 
came  in  society. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  McKimber,  society  demands  so 
much !  Why,  I  scarcely  have  an  hour  to  call  my 
own !  " 

And  I  saw  that  it  was  so,  —  saw  that  what  with 


68  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

shopping,  dressing,  dinner-parties,  evening-parties, 
callers,  and  calling,  the  "  chief  duty "  stood  a 
small  chance. 

Among  all  classes,  then, — among  the  wealthy, 
the  comfortably  off,  and  the  uncomfortably  off,  — 
children  are  wronged.  They  are  petted,  pam 
pered,  furbelow ed,  amused,  but  still  wronged : 
they  are  defrauded  of  their  mothers.  This  is  a 
broad  statement ;  and,  of  course,  there  are  excep 
tions.  I  know  nryself  some  thoughtful,  careful, 
prayerful  mothers,  who  understand  their  mission, 
and  try  to  fulfil  it.  But,  as  a  rule,  the  mission  is 
not  recognized.  As  a  rule,  children  are  shoved 
aside.  And  this  is  done  in  man}'  cases  deliberately. 
Said  one  of  the  sewing-circle  members,  "It  won't 
do  to  notice  your  children  too  much :  if  you  do,  you 
can't  turn  'em  off." 

Yes,  "  Turn  'em  off,"  is  the  cry.  And  turned 
off  they  are, — some  for  "  society,"  some  for 
"  flounces,"  some  for  "  lemon-pies." 

How,  then,  and  where,  then,  is  my  theory  to  work  ? 
for  mothers,  exceptions  excepted,  do  not  even  feel 
that  boy-and-girl-training  is  their  first  duty.  And, 
allowing  they  could  be  convinced  of  this,  then  comes 
the  question  of  time.  How  shall  they  find  time  to 
attend  to  it?  which  is  rather  an  odd  question,  as  it 


"TUJIN  *EM  OFF:'  69 

might  be  supposed  that  one's  first  duty  would  have 
the  first  claim.  Ah,  well !  it  is  almost  a  hopeless 
case.  The  next  generation  will  not  be  a  good  gen 
eration,  because  it  will  not  be  started  rightly ;  and 
it  will  not  be  started  rightly,  because  mothers  are 
not  attending  to  their  business ;  and  mothers  are 
not  attending  to  their  business,  because  they  "  have 
no  time,"  and  because  they  are  not  aware  that  it  is 
their  business. 

Why  do  not  philanthropists  organize  a  society 
for  the  enlightenment  of  mothers?  That  is  what 
the  country  needs.  And  when  such  a  society  shall 
have  been  organized,  and  have  accomplished  its 
purpose,  another  must  be  started,  the  object  of 
which  shall  be  to  furnish  mothers  with  time  :  not  by 
putting  more  hours  into  the  day,  or  more  daj's  into 
the  week,  but  by  an  easy  process  which  I  have  in 
my  mind,  and  which  I  am  willing  to  divulge.  Its 
name  begins  with  S.  I  will  note  down  here  that  the 
name  begins  wi!h  S. 

There  is  a  class  of  mothers  not  mentioned  in  these 
remarks,  who  make  themselves  slaves  to  their  chil 
dren  by  trying  to  gratify  all  their  whims  and  wishes. 
This  class  need  enlightenment  as  much  as  any  other, 
for  the  kind  of  attention  which  children  shall  receive 
is  a  consideration  of  the  utmost  importance. 


70  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 


X. 

A  LOOK  AHEAD. 

"TTTIIEN  the  Society  for  the  Enlightenment  of 
Mothers  shall  have  accomplished  its  work, 
and,  as  a  consequence,  it  has  become  a  recognized 
idea  in  the  community  that  woman's  special  duty  is 
to  rightly  train  her  children,  then  it  will  be  in  order 
to  organize  that  other  society,  the  object  of  which 
shall  be  to  provide  mothers  with  time  for  attending 
to  that  special  duty.  And  perhaps  some  of  my 
remote  descendants  may  be  called  upon  to  draft 
resolutions  for  said  society,  and  may  be  glad  to 
find,  among  the  musty  papers  of  their  great,  great, 
great,  man}*- times-great  grandfather,  a  hint  for  a 
beginning,  something  like  this,  for  instance  :  — 

"  Whereas,  Mothers  of  families  are  burdened  with  many 
cares,  and  whereas  their  crying  want  is  want  of  time  :  there 
fore. 

"Resolved,  That,  in  our  view,  the  necessities  of  the  age  de 
mand  the  organization  of  a  society,  the  object  of  which  shall 
he  the  diffusion  of  time  among  mothers. 


A  LOOK  AHEAD.  71 

"  Resolved,  secondly,  That  this  society  boldly  takes  ^ts  stand 
on  the  platform  of  Simplification. 

"Resolved,  thirdly,  That,  to  effectually  disseminate  its 
views,  this  society  requires,  and  shall  have,  an  organ. 

" Resolved,  fourthly,  That  said  organ  shall  be  called  'The 
Columbian  Simplifier  and  Time- Provider  ;'  and  that  writers 
shall  be  pecuniarily  encouraged  to  illustrate  in  its  columns 
our  grand  idea  of  Simplification  in  its  bearing  on  household 
duties  and  on  dress." 

There,  I  leave  my  great,  great,  great,  many-times- 
great  grandchildren  these  hints,  with  my  blessing, 
and  would  leave,  also,  an  article  for  "  The  Simpli 
fier,"  only  for  the  difficulty  of  putting  myself  in  a 
frame  of  mind  corresponding  with  so  remotely 
future  a  state  of  things,  —  a  state  of  things,  that  is, 
when  the  controlling  purposes  of  woman's  life  shall 
have  changed  so  entirely. 

I  have  a  mind  to  try  to  do  this,  and  write  my 
article,  and  have  it  read  at  the  sewing-circle ;  but 
then  it  would  be  premature.  These  mothers  do  not 
yet  recognize  their  mission ;  neither  do  they  yet 
place  mental  culture  among  the  must  haves.  When 
they  do,  they  will  work  for  far  other  than  their 
present  aims  ;  not  but  that  mam*  of  these  are  com 
mendable,  but  that  they  stand  in  the  way  of  better 
things. 

Take    ironing,  for   instance.       This   forenoon    I 


7l>  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

heard  Mrs.  Fennel  say  to  Martha,  "  Don't  slight 
the  towels.  I  take  just  as  much  pains  with  a  coarse 
brown  towel  as  I  do  with  any  thing."  Mrs.  Fennel 
prides  herself  on  having  the  clothes  "look  well  on 
the  horse,"*  the  tinware  bright,  stove  polished,  tables 
scoured,  towel-fringes  combed  out  nicely,  and  a 
pantrj-  stored  with  nice  things  to  tempt  the  appetite. 
Now,  the  question  is  not,  are  these  ends  worth 
attaining,  but  are  the}'  the  principal  ones  worth 
attaining  ? 

I  am  aware  that  any  insinuation  of  this  kind  read 
at  the  sewing-circle  would  bring  a  storm  about  my 
head  at  once.  "What!  slight  the  ironing?" 
"What!  not  scour  the  tin?"  "What!  not  keep 
the  stove  bright?"  Well,  they  would  certainly  have 
right  on  their  side ;  and  I  should  have,  more  cer 
tainly,  right  on  m}*  side.  My  side  being,  that,  through 
all  the  toil  and  striving,  something  higher  shall  be 
kept  in  view,  and  that  this  something  higher  shall 
not  be  forever  shoved  aside  for  those  other  things 
lower. 

I  suppose  the  Society  for  the  Enlightenment  of 
Mothers  will  put  the  case  somewhat  in  this 
way,  — 

"  As  woman  has  mind,  it  may  be  inferred  that  to 
*  Clothes-Lorse,  a  local  term  for  clothes-frame. 


A    LOOK  AHEAD.  73 

cultivate  her  mind  should  be  one  special  object  of 
woman's  life.  That  is  one  statement.  Then,  to 
add  another,  nothing  in  the  world  can  be  more 
precious  than  a  little  child.  It  is  no  light  respon- 
sibilit}T,  that  of  giving  the  first  direction  to  an  im 
mortal  soul.  Woman,  in  assuming  a  duty  sc 
sacred,  should  feel  that  its  claims  rank  above  all 
others  ;  that  it  demands  of  her  her  very  best. 

"  A  mother,  then,  should  aim  at  two  special 
duties  ;  namely,  to  cultivate  her  mind,  and  to  rightly 
train  her  children.  Though  these  two  are  stated 
separate!}',  the  last  really  includes  the  first,  since,  to 
rightly  train  her  children,  a  mother  needs  to  have 
every  mental  faculty  under  cultivation.  This  im 
plies  study,  reflection,  deliberation  ;  and  these  imply 
time.  '  We  have  no  time,'  sa}'  these  mothers, — '  no 
time  for  books,  no  time  to  think,  no  time  to  spend 
with  our  children.'  Which  is  not  true,  because  they 
have  all  the  time  there  is,  but  feel  bound  to  use  it 
for  other  purposes." 

Now,  here  is  where  the  Society  for  the  Diffu 
sion  of  Time  among  Mothers  shall  take  up  the 
work,  and  show  how,  by  the  application  of  its  grand 
principle  of  Simplification  to  cooking  and  to  dress, 
the  inferior  duties  can  be  -made  to  deliver  up  their 
"  lion's  share  "  of  time.  Statistical  writers  in  "  The 
7 


74  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

Columbian  Simplifier  "  shall  state  the  exact  number 
of  rolling-pin  strokes  required  b}'  an  average  family 
in  a  }rear,  and  the  amount  of  time  said  strokes  will 
consume,  for  the  purpose  of  calculating  how  many 
hours  and  minutes  are  thus  stolen  from  the  two 
special  objects.  The  same  statistical  writer,  for  a 
similar  purpose,  shall  give,  in  figures,  the  stitches 
and  minutes  required  to  flounce  an  average  family 
for  a  year.  Comic  writers  will  hold  up  to  ridicule,  in 
"The  Simplifier,"  elaborate  passages  from  the 
cook-book,  thus  handing  them  down  to  posterity, 
by  whom  the}"  will  be  considered  as  relics  of  a  bar 
barous  age.  Among  these  passages  will  no  doubt 
be  this  one  concerning 

MINCE-PIES. 

"Ten  pounds  of  meat,  three  pounds  of  suet,  one 
of  currants,  three  of  sugar,  five  of  apple,  four  of 
raisins,  one  of  citron,  a  pint  of  sirup  of  preserved 
fruit,  a  quart  of  wine,  salt,  cinnamon,  clove,  nut 
meg,  the  juice  and  pulp  of  a  lemon,  the  rind  chopped 
fine." 

Among  the  illustrations  of  "The  Simplifier" 
may  be,  perhaps,  one  of  a  woman  at  a  sewing- 
machine,  half-buried  in  as  yet  unruffled  ruffling ; 
musical  instruments  at  the  right  of  her,  an  easel 


A  LOOK  AHEAD.  -     75 

with  its  belongings  at  the  left  of  her,  book-shelves 
well  filled  in  front  of  her.  If  the  artist  be  imagi 
native,  he  may  depict,  hovering  over  their  several 
emblems,  dim,  shadowy  forms  to  represent,  respec 
tively,  the  genius  of  music,  of  painting,  of  litera 
ture,  each  vainly,  and  sorrowfully  because  vainly, 
beckoning  the  ruffler  away.  Or,  instead  of  a  woman 
ruffling,  it  may  be  a  woman,  chopper  in  hand,  con- 


cocting  the  above-quoted  hori'or  of  the  cook-book, 
surrounded,  of  course,  by  the  various  ingredients, 
each  properly  labelled.  If  the  artist  be  sensational, 
as  well  as  imaginative,  he  may  introduce  here, 
instead  of  the  dim  and  shadowy  figures  just  now 
mentioned,  the  grim  and  shadowy  figure  of  l)ea,th. 


76  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

as  sa3Ting  with  an  exultant  laugh,  "  Go  on,  madam, 
go  on.  You  are  working  in  my  interests  !  " 

Then  will  come  the  essayist.  •  Imagine  him 
thus,  —  * 

"Some  may  ask,  Mr.  Editor,  is  it  not  desirable 
to  live  neatly,  and  to  cook  palatable  food  ?  Yes.  But 
is  it  for  this  alone  that  woman  has  intellect,  talent, 
genius,  aspirations  ?  Suppose,  now,  that  one  of  these 
women  live  fort}7  working-years.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  she  can  look  back,  and  say,  '  I  have  polished 
my  stove  twelve  thousand  times  ;  have  scoured  my 
knives  thirty-six  thousand  times  ;  have  never  left 
one  wrinkle  in  one  coarse  towel ;  have  swept  the 
house  from  garret  to  cellar  two  thousand  and  eighty 
times ;  and  I  have  made  unnumbered  thousands  of 
cakes,  pies,  and  hot  biscuits.'  Now,  without  sa}'ing 
&ny  thing  against  neatness,  or  against  eating,  can 
that  woman,  in  accomplishing  these  ends  only,  be 
said  to  have  fulfilled  the  essential  purposes  of  life? 

"  The  case  is  something  like  this.  A  person  is 
sent  on  an  important  mission,  and,  being  asked  if 
he  has  performed  his  mission,  replies,  '  Why,  no  !  I 
had  no  time.  It  took  all  the  time  to  look  out  for 
provisions,  brush  the  dust  off  my  clothes,  and 
polish  my  boots.  These  duties  have  been  faithfully 
attended  to,  I  am  proud  to  say.' 


A   LOOK   AHEAD.  77 

"Or  suppose  a  sea-captaiu  should  devote  his 
energies  mainly  to  keeping  the  ship  in  order  and  his 
storeroom  supplied,  but  never  steer  for  an}-  port. 
'  "  Cleanliness  and  good  living"  is  m}-  motto,'  he 
would  say,  pointing  exultingly  to  his  well-scrubbed 
decks  and  to  his  well-fille  1  storeroom.  '  Yes  ;  but 
it  is  necessary  to  get  somewhere,'  might  properly  be 
answered. 

"Let  woman,  then,  while  insisting  on  neatness, 
remember  her  mission.  Let  her,  sailing  on  life'fc 
seas,  keep  the  ship  in  order  and  wholesomely  pro 
visioned,  but  at  the  same  time  steer  for  some  port." 

The  essa3-ist  will,  of  course,  bring  in  those  who 
forget  their  mission  while  picking  flowers,  chasing 
butterflies,  and  blowing  bubbles,  and  will  in  various 
ways  show  that  Iry  simplifying  cooking,  and  simplify 
ing  dress,  time  may  be  diffused  among  mothers. 
7* 


78  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 


XI. 

FENNEL  PAYNE  AND  ADELINE. 

npWEENIT  is  usually  in  a  state  of  ferment  from 
one  cause  or  another.  Last  week  it  was  a  quar 
rel  between  two  neighbors ;  the  week  before  it  was 
Aunt  Jinny's  (Aunt  Jinny  under  the  hill)  under 
taking  to  have  company ;  this  week,  it  is  siVver- 
plated  knives.  Fennel  Payne  has  bought  for  Ade 
line  silver-plated  knives.  "It  does  beat  all!" 
exclaims  Mrs.  Laura,  who  is  now  discussing  the 
matter  with  Mrs.  Fennel  in  an  adjoining  room. 
My  prophetic  eye  sees  a  day  in  the  far-off  future, 
when,  even  in  country  villages,  women's  thoughts 
will  be  occupied  by  subjects  of  more  importance. 
Meanwhile,  Nature  abhorring  a  vacuum,  gossip 
flows  in,  as  one  maj-  sa}-,  like  a  sea,  filling  every  little 
creek  and  inlet  between  the  solid  high  lands  of 
housework  and  needlework. 

It  is  amazing,  the  relish  with  which  a  choice  bit 
of  this   standard   entertainment  is  enjoyed.     Mrs. 


FENNEL  PAYNE  AND  ADELINE.  79 

Laura  comes  over  on  some  errand  (she  is  a  stoutly- 
built  woman  with  a  determined  cast  of  counte 
nance),  and  sits  down  by  Mrs.  Fennel.  The  talk 
begins :  it  grows  interesting.  The}-  lean  toward 
each  other :  there  is  animation  in  their  faces,  a  light 
in  their  eyes,  feeling  in  ever}r  tone.  The  announce 
ment  of  a  national  calamity  could  hardly  be  received 
with  greater  emotion  than  is  this  wonderful  news 
of  to-day.  "  Silver-plated  knives?  What  do  yon 
mean?" 

It  was  Fennel  Payne  and  Adeline  who  were 
criticised  b}'  the  sewing-circle  for  their  way  of 
spending  time  and  mone}*.  Indeed,  Tweenit  in 
general  disapproves  of  this  couple :  it  calls  them 
"  stuck  up."  I  know  this  cannot  be  true  of  Adeline, 
because  she  is  an  intimate  friend  of  my  friend  Mrs. 
Royal  of  Piper's  Mills,  and  therefore  must  have 
common-sense,  and  therefore  cannot  be  "  stuck  up." 
And,  as  for  her  husband,  I  like  the  looks  of  him  much, 
and  mean  "to  accept  his  kind  invitation  to  "come 
over."  These  two  words  seem  to  suffice  for  all 
ordinary  complimenting  in  Tweenit,  especially  at 
the  breaking-up  of  a  gathering,  when  it  fairly  rains 
"come  overs."  But  hark!  List!  What  is  Mrs. 
Laura  saying?  "  Every  day !  "  "  They  don't  keep 
them  for  company,  but  use  them  every  day ! " 


80  THE  SCHOOL  If ASTER'S   TRUNK. 

This  is  the  last  straw  which  breaks  the  back  of 
forbearance.  Purchasing  the  articles  at  all  was  bad 
enough;  but  using  them  "  every  da}*"  is  atrocious. 
These  two,  Fennel  Payne  and  Adeline,  are  rare 
specimens,  which  must  be  examined.  The  interests 
of  my  science  demand  it.  I  shall  go  "  over." 

TWO  WEEKS  LATER. 

Well,  I  have  been  over  several  times  ;  and  I  en 
tirely  approve  of  Fennel  Payne  and  Adeline.  They 
are  a  couple  in  advance  of  their  times,  —  a  couple 
worthy  to  live  in  the  days  of  "The  Columbian  Simpli- 
lier  and  Time-Provider."  The}'  believe  in  books,  in 
beauty,  in  social  intercourse,  and  in  out-doors. 

I  found  my  friend  Mrs.  Ro}'al  staying  there  the 
last  time  I  called.  She  is  quite  enthusiastic  about 
Mr.  Fennel  Payne,  and,  finding  that  I  sympathize  in 
her  enthusiasm,  has  kindly  lent  me  these  extracts, 
copied  from  letters  which  a  young  friend  of  hers 
received  from  Adeline's  sister,  one  Miss  Vining. 
They  eulogize  Fennel  Payne,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
solve  the  great  knife  mystery. 

EXTRACTS. 

» 

.  .  .  "Pretty  scenery,  river,  meadow,  woods 
bc}-ond.  They  live  up  stairs,  have  one  cooking- 
room,  one  sitting-room,  two  sleeping-rooms,  with 


FENNEL   PAYNE  AND   ADELINE.  81 

garret  privileges,  and  the  right  to  wash  in  the  sink- 
room,  down  below,  the  second  pleasant  day  after 
Sunday.  Adeline  does  her  own  work,  and  takes 
care  of  little  Adeline  and  Buddy,  as  they  call  baby. 
He  is  —  but,  as  the  girl  in  the  book  says,  there 
never  will  be  a  word  invented  adequate  to  describe 
your  sister's  baby.  No,  there  never  will.  And  such 
a  husband  as  Adeline  has  got !  Oh,  I  tell  yon 
there  are  not  many  Fennel  Paynes  in  this  world ! 
Oh,  they  two  do  take  such  comfort !  Why,  the  very 
atmosphere  of  the  house  is  full  of  comfort,  and  you 
have  to  breathe  it  in. 

"  Fennel  comes  home  from  work  at  evening, 
and  settles  himself  down  with  an  air  of  intense 
satisfaction,  as  if  this  were  for  him  the  only  spot 
in  all  the  world.  Sometimes  he  undresses  Buddy, 
Adeline,  meanwhile,  stepping  about,  doing  up  the 
work,  going  sideways  so  as  to  keep  her  eyes  on 
them,  and  telling  over  all  the  cunning  things  baby 
and  little  Adeline  have  committed  during  the  day. 
A',  last  baby's  father,  after  fumbling  at  the  night 
gown  strings,  and  tying  them  in  a  single  bow- 
knot,  covers  him  over  like  a  cocoon.  Then  lullaby, 
hushaby,  softly  and  gently.  Fennel's  low  tones  are 
wonderfully  sweet ;  and  now  and  then  Adeline  joins 
in  'with  sweet  accord.'  I  tell  you  'tis  such  a 


82  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S  TRUNK. 

perfect  taking  comfort,  it  almost  brings  the  tears 
to  my  eyes.  That  baby's  slumbers  ought  to  be 
sweet,  thus  watched  and  tended.  But  it  is  so  funny 
to  see  a  man  try  to  glide !  In  Fennel's  tiptoe 
performances  he  seems  to  be  putting  himself  uni 
versally  out  of  joint.  .  .  . 

"  Fennel  is  unwilling  to  have  Adeline  do  any  veiy 
hard  work.     They  live  well,  but  simply ;   that  is, 


they  have  the  best  of  bread,  meats,  fruit,  &c.,  but 
no  elaborate  concoctions  which  take  time  to  prepare, 
and  cost  money  to  buy.  Fennel  says  he  thinks  the 
right  way  is  to  save  on  non-essentials,  and  spend  on 
essentials.  Among  essentials  he  counts  books  and 
pictures,  especially  books  that  have  any  bearing  on 


FENNEL  PAYNE  AND  ADELTNE.       83 

education.  He  says,  that,  as  Adeline  has  little 
Adeline  and  Budd}T  to  bring  up,  she  ought  to  have 
the  means  of  preparing  herself  to  do  it,  and  beau 
tiful  things  to  look  at,  and  leisure  to  enjoy  them,  so 
as  to  keep  herself  in  a  pleasant  frame  of  mind. 
There  is  nothing  he  will  not  do  to  make  Adeline's 
work  easy  for  her.  I  don't  mean  ever  to  marry  till  I 
find  a  man  just  like  Fennel  Payne.  But  he  has 
no  brother.  Alas  and  alackaday !  Why,  he  even 
bought  silver-plated  knives  to  save  Adeline's  arms 
and  Adeline's  moments.  His  Aunt  Laura  was  over 
yesterday ;  and  she  gave  him  quite  a  lecture  on 
extravagance,  also  threw  out  something  about  the 
mother  of  a  family  sitting  down  to  read  in  the 
daytime.  Fennel  declared  that  he  could  buy  a  set 
of  knives  every  month  with  what  his  aunt  spent  in 
cooking  the  unnecessaries  of  life ;  and  Adeline  did 
a  sum  in  tarts  and  doughnuts  to  show  where-  her 
reading-time  came  from.  Fennel  said,  that,  if  any 
body  ought  to  sit  down  to  read  in  the  daytime,  it 
is  the  mother  of  a  family  ;  for  she,  more  than  anybody, 
needs  whatever  help  books  can  give.  Aunt  Laura  said 
she  approved  of  la}'ing  by  for  a  raiirv  day  ;  and  Ade 
line  said  that  was  just  what  she  was  doing,  —  laying 
up  ideas  against  the  da}-  when  her  health  might  not 
be  so  good,  or  her  family  so  small.  '  The  question 


84  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

is,  Aunt  Laura,'  said  she,  '  who  wastes  time  and 
money, — you,  or  I?'  Uncle  David  and  Aunt 
Laura  have  always  worked  like  slaves,  and  do  now  ; 
but  every  dollar  saved  is  put  into  the  bank  or  into 
land.  There's  hardly  a  pretty  thing  in  their  house. 
They  work  and  save,  work  and  save,  den}ring  them 
selves  almost  even-  enjoyment,  except  that  of  eating. 
They  will  live  well.  Uncle  David  owned  to  Fennel 
once,  that  he  wants  to  have  the  name,  when  he  dies, 
of  leaving  property.  What  a  funny  idea  it  is,  when 
you  come  to  think  of  it,  —  the  idea  of  living  this  life, 
that  can't  be  lived  but  once,  entirely  for  the  sake  of 
accumulating  something,  which,  when  we  have  done 
living,  can  be  of  no  use  to  us  !  1  agree  with  Fennel 
and  Adeline,  that  we  ought  to  get  out  of  life  what  is 
best  worth  having.  I  suppose  we  can  carry  that 
with  us  ;  don't  you  ?  And  I  shall  not  marry  until  I 
meet  with  a  man  —  well,  something  like  Fennel,  or, 
at  any  rate,  who  believes  as  I  do  in  these  matters. 
Though,  to  be  sure,  I  might  take  one  that  differed  a 
little,  supposing  one  offered,  and  convert  him  ;  but 
it  would  be  advisable  to  do  this  last  before  marriage, 
perhaps  before  the  engagement.  .  .  . 

"  Aunt  Laura  has  just  come  over  again,  and  she 
and  Adeline  are  discussing  the  chapel  question. 
They  are  on  opposite  sides,  of  course.  'Tis  as 


FENNEL  PAYNE  AND  ADELINE.  85 

good  as  a  play,  being  in  Tweenit  now  ;  and  I  long 
to  stay  longer.  Such  exciting  times  !  The  women, 
it  seems,  have  earned  money  to  build  a  chapel 
(there  never  was  any  meeting-house  here)  ;  and 
now  the  men,  who  have  all  along  discouraged  them 
from  doing  it,  the}*  step  forward,  and  want  to  form 
a  regular  parish  that  shall  build  the  chapel,  and 
run  it  generally  ;  but  the}-  are  not  going  to  allow 
the  women  to  come  to  the  parish-meetings,  and 
speak,  —  the  meetings  that  are  to  dispose  of  their 
own  money,  They  say  it  would  be  wicked.  Isn't 
this  funny?"  .  .  . 

8 


86  Till-:  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 


XII. 

NEW  INVENTION    WANTED. 

~T~  HEARD  Nanny  Joe  remark,  the  other  day, 
that  begging  mone}'  was  akin  to  pulling  teeth ; 
and,  for  her  part,  she  wished  there  was  a  way  of 
putting  people's  avaricious  propensities  under  some 
influence  akin  to  laughing-gas,  that  their  money 
might  be  drawn  without  pain.  I  said  to  her  in 
reply,  that  fairs  answer  the  purpose  very  well,  as 
I  could  testify  from  experience  ;  having  taken  them 
often,  and  found  in  every  instance  the  effect  to 
be  such,  that  I  scarcely  knew  of  any  operation 
being  performed,  until  I  woke  up,  and  found  my 
money  extracted.  Nanny  replied,  that  such  ma 
chinery  was  too  cumbersome,  and  that  she  meant 
some  little,  handy  pocket-contrivance  to  be  applied 
individually.  Probably  Mr.  David  was  the  indi 
vidual  in  her  mind  at  the  time.  The  old  man  is 
pretty  well  to  do  for  a  farmer ;  yet  his  dollars  come 
hard.  Every  one  has  roots  to  it ;  and  the  roots  are 
clinched. 


NEW    INVENTION    WANTED.  87 

Nanny  Joe  and  Nanny  Moses  have  been  trying 
to  beg  money  enough  to  buy  a  second-hand  sewing- 
machine  for  Mrs.  Hannah  Knowles.  Mr.  Knowles, 
a  j-ear  or  two  ago,  was  killed  by  falling  from  a  roof; 
and  his  widow  has  been  struggling  ever  since  to 
support  the  family,  —  yes,  struggling,  and  among 
all  these  Christians  ! 

It  would  seem  no  more  than  fair  that  a  home 
bereft  in  such  a  wa}-  should  be  provided  with  even 
more  comforts  than  the  happier  homes  around  ;  that 
a  heart  thus  grief-stricken  should  be  relieved  of 
every  possible  burden,  — no  more  than  fair,  and  no 
more  than  Christian-like.  Christianity,  it  is  said,  is 
better  than  other  religions,  because  it  teaches  that 
we  are  all  brothers  and  sisters.  Now,  among  a 
family  of  children,  the  rule  is,  when  one  has  any 
thing  good,  "  Give  dear  brother  or  sister  some." 
How  often  have  I  heard  this  at  Mrs.  Melendy's ! 
And  another  thing.  Yesterday,  while  I  was  calling 
there,  little  Rosa  Melendy  fell,  and  bruised  her  head. 
The  other  children  were  around  her  in  a  moment,  — 
one  with  a  doll,  one  with  a  cooky,  one  with  a  kiss, 
one  with  a  flower ;  all  trying  to  comfort  the  child. 
Maybe  we  are  all  brothers  and  sisters,  as  our 
religion  teaches ;  but  I  know  that  we  are  not  will 
ing,  all  of  us,  when  we  have  any  thing  good,  to 


88  THE  SCHOOL  MASTER'S   TRUNK. 

"  give  dear  brother  or  sister  some,"  or  alwa}Ts  eager 
to  heap  kindnesses  on  an}"  member  of  the  family 
whose  heart  has  been  bruised  b}T  sorrow. 

Nanny  Joe  says  there  are  very  few  people  —  that 
is,  very  few  people  in  Tweenit  (they  are  doubtless 
plenty  elsewhere)  —  who  are  willing,  realty  willing, 
to  give  away  half  a  dollar  right  out  and  out.  She 
asked  five  individuals  to  contribute  that  sum 
toward  the  sewing-machine,  and  they  refused ;  they 
were  unmarried  men,  too,  earning  daily  wages, 
which  were  spent  freely  in  tobacco,  confectionery, 
horse-hire,  and  other  gratifications.  Nanny  says 
that  half  a  dollar  to  be  spent  on  one's  self  is  a 
modest,  insignificant  little  affair  ;  but,  if  to  be  given 
away,  it  grows  so  big  it  can  hardly  be  got  out  of 
the  pocket. 

I  wonder  how  it  would  be  if  we  all  gave,  not 
from  pity,  or  from  duty,  but,  as  one  may  say,  Imper 
sonally.  For  instance,  I  deny  myself  a  pleasure 
that  would  cost  two  dollars,  and  bestow  one  cost 
ing  the  same  sum  upon  Mrs.  Knowles,  saying  to 
myself,  "  What  matters  it,  since  a  pleasure  is  en 
joyed,  whether  the  individual  Henry  McKimber 
enjoys  it,  or  the  individual  Hannah  Knowles?" 
This,  of  course,  is  mereljr  a  h}-pothetical  case. 

Mr.  David  has  arrived  at  no  such  state  of  imper- 


N'EW   INVENTION    WANTED.  89 

sonality ;  neither  has  Mrs.  Laura.  I  happened  to 
be  at  their  house  when  Nanny  Joe  called.  Mr. 
David  thought  that  Hannah  Knowles  might  put 
out  her  children,  and  then  go  to  the  almshouse. 
He  said  he  gave  fifty  cents  three  weeks  before  to 
help  buy  a  new  stove  for  Aunt  Jinny  under  the  hill ; 
also  that  he  felt  poorer  than  common  just  then,  on 
account  of  having  between  one  hundred  and 'two 
hundred  dollars  not  drawing  interest,  waiting  for  him 
to  find  a  safe  way  of  investing  it ;  also  that  his  wife's 
breaking  her  arm  had  been  a  great  damage  to  him. 
Nanny  Joe  offered  to  accept  potatoes,  and  dispose 
of  them  at  Piper's  Mills.'  He  said  potatoes  were 
a  cash  artrcle,  but  finally  agreed  to  her  taking  half  a 
bushel.  The  tea-table  was  standing  ;  and  I  observed 
that  there  was  no  lack  of  good  things  to  eat.  Mr. 
David,  no  doubt,  takes  it  for  granted  that  he  must 
have  his  comforts,  whatever  others  may  lack.  Per 
haps  he  thinks  this  is  true  Bible  doctrine.  Mr.  David 
is  a  very  doctrinal  man. 

Nanny  Joe  asked  Mrs.  Laura  for  some  old 
pantaloons  to  make  over  for  Mrs.  Knowles's  son. 
Mrs.  Laura  replied  that  her  husband  and  the  boys 
were  very  hard  on  their  pantaloons.  There  are  two 
sons  at  home,  Elbridge  and  Prince,  tall,  slim  boys 
of  thirty-five  or  forty.  Elbridge  has  a  small  face, 

6* 


90 


THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 


and  a  comical,  one-sided  twinkle  of  the  eye,  which 
he  takes  from  his  father. 

,  Mrs.  Laura  brought  out  various  garments,  in 
various  stages  of  deca}r,  each  of  which  was  exam 
ined  in  turn.  One  pair  would  stand  it  a  spell  for 
second-best ;  another  would  do  for  rain}-  weather ; 
another,  for  rough  work;  and  so  on.  A  pair  of 


gray  satinets,  weak-kneed,  and  in  other  respects 
decrepit,  Elbridge  remarked,  with  his  one-sided 
twinkle,  were  "jest  about  a  herrin'."  But  his 
mother  declared  them  to  be  the  very  things  to 
wear  in  the  woods.  Then  he  picked  up  a  pair, of 
brown  ones,  sa}'ing  they  were  too  short  ever  to  be 
worn  again  without  "splicing,"  and  that  Hannah 


NEW  INVENTION    WANTED.  91 

Knowles  had  better  take  them.  His  mother  said 
she  would  see,  first,  if  there  were  any  pieces  like 
them  in  the  bag,  "  to  lengthen  the  legs  down." 
The  bundle-bag  was  brought  foi'ward,  roll  after  roll 
taken  out,  and  its  label  read :  "  Prince's  mixed 
suit  o' clothes,"  "  Father's  last  tail-coat,"  "Father's 
summer  alpaca  waistcoat,"  "  Elbridge's  sack  cut 
out  by  Sally  Pa3*ne's  pattern,"  "  Prince's  satinet 
pantaloons,"  "  Elbridge's  frock-coat  he  had  cut  out 
by  the  tailor,"  "  Elbridge's  brown  small-legs  panta 
loons  "  — 

"That's  the  animal!"  cried  Elbridge.  "But 
it  doesn't  look  like  'em." 

"  They'll  fade  alike,  though,  some  time  or  other," 
his  mother  remarked. 

"  These  won't  fade  alike,  though,"  he  cried, 
taking  up  a  pair  spotted  over  with  paint. 

"  I've  been  saving  that  pair  o'  pantaloons  to 
braid,"  answered  his  mother;  "but  still"  (exam 
ining  them  closely)  ' '  they're  rather  stiff ;  and  on 
the  whole,  if  Hannah  Knowles  can  make  any  use 
of  that  pair  of  pantaloons,  she  may  have  'em." 
"So,  Mrs.  Laura,"  thought  I,  "you  give  away 
what  is  of  no  use  to  you.  True  Bible  benevolence 
that !  "  Mrs.  Laura  is  a  stanch  Bible  woman. 

Nanny  Joe  declined  the  generous  gift,  and  rose 


92  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

to  go,  fearing,  as  she  afterward  told  me,  that  the 
chapel  question  might  be  introduced  ;  which  question 
she  had  then  no  leisure  for  discussing.  I  came  out  at 
the  same  time,  having  something  to  communicate  on 
that  very  subject.  Just  as  we  got  outside  the  gate, 
a  bundle  came  down  plump  on  the  ground  in  front 
of  UP,  which  same,  by  unrolling,  showed  itself  to 
be  "  Elbridge's  brown  small-legs  pantaloons."  We 
turned,  and,  guided  by  a  loud  hem,  looked  up  to  the 
roof,  and  saw  there  the  comical  phiz  of  the  owner 
protruding  from  a  scuttle.  He  gave  a  nod,  a  finger- 
shake  of  warning,  and  vanished.  We  picked  up  the 
prize,  but  had  a  narrow  escape  with  it,  as  Mrs.  Laura 
opened  the  door  suddenly  to  ask  Nanny  Joe  if  she 
had  seen  a  certain  piece  in  the  paper  about  woman's 
sphere. 

The  dispute  as  to  whether  women  shall  or  shall 
not  be  allowed  to  become  speaking  and  voting  mem 
bers  of  the  parish  shakes  Tweenit  to  its  centre.  The 
sewing-circle  members  think  they  should  have  a 
voice  in  the  disposal  of  their  own  money ;  but  the 
men,  man}'  of  them,  cannot  see  their  way  clear  to 
letting  them  have  a  voice  in  the  disposal  of  their  own 
money,  or  a  voice  in  their  own  chapel  when  it  shall 
be  built.  The  quarrel  waxes  warm.  Not  only  the 
neighborhood,  but  families,  are  divided.  Elbridge 


NEW   INVENTION    WANTED.  93 

Melencty  thinks  differently  from  his  father.  Martha 
Fennel  and  her  lover  are  on  opposite  sides  ;  and, 
in  their  case,  the  warmth  of  the  argument  has  pro 
duced  a  coolness  of  feeling.  We  shall  see  what  we 
shall  see. 


94  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 


XIII. 
A  TALK  IN  THE  SCHOOLHOUSE. 

A  FTER  the  women,  by  working  at  home  and 
•^•-*-  begging  abroad,  had  obtained  the  requisite 
sum,  the  men  came  forward,  and  proposed  meeting 
together  to  form  a  society,  or  parish,  which  should 
build  the  chapel,  and  regulate  all  things  pertaining 
thereto.  The  women  said,  "  Yes,  a  very  proper 
thing  to  do:  we'll  come."  —  "Oh,  no!"  the  men 
said  :  "  we  can  manage  it  ourselves.  You  don't  un 
derstand  house-building  ;  besides,  a  woman  would  be 
out  of  place  in  a  parish  meeting." 

Nanny  Joe  affirmed  that  she  and  several  mem 
bers  of  the  sewing-circle  had  consulted  builders,  and 
obtained  their  proposals.  Mr.  David  answered, 
very  well ;  that,  when  the  parish  should  be  regularly 
formed,  she  could  send  in  a  prepared  statement,  and 
the  parish  would  act  upon  it.  The  matter  created 
quite  a  stir  in  the  neighborhood  ;  and  it  soon  became 
evident  that  Mr.  David  and  others  strongly  objected 
to  *'  women  speaking  in  meeting."  Some,  however, 


A   TALK  IN   THE  SCHOOLHOUSE.  95 

held  views  opposite  to  those  of  Mr.  David,  and  were 
not  backward  in  expressing  those  views.  At  last 
Hie  direct  question  was  raised,  whether,  in  any 
future  meetings  to  be  held  in  the  chapel,  a  woman 
should,  or  should  not,  be  allowed  to  speak. 

This  question  has  been  freely  discussed,  not  upon 
set  occasions,  but  as  people  met  iu  their  usual  way 
of  dropping  in ;  what  lie  said,  and  what  she  said, 
being  told  from  house  to  house.  Two  parties  have 
been  formed ;  and  the  excitement  is  verjr  great. 
Everj'body  says  there  was  never  any  thing  like  it 
in  Tweenit  before.  There  probably  was  never  so 
much  Bible-reading.  Each  side  searches  out  texts 
whereby  to  sustain  its  position.  At  first,  the  women 
were  united  ;  but,  latterly,  some  of  them,  influenced 
by  husbands,  brothers,  or  lovers,  have  come  out 
against  themselves.  Mrs.  Laura  says  she  has 
said,  "  Amen  ! "  or  "  Ghny !  "  occasionally  in  a  revi 
val-meeting  at  Piper's  Mills,  but  that  was  before  she 
looked  into  the  subject ;  and  she  sees  now,  that,  as 
the  command  forbids  women  to  speak,  one  word  is 
as  wrong  as  twenty  words.  Mr.  David  and  others 
say  that  the  text  is  plain  and  direct,  and  therefore 
they  cannot  conscientiously  worship  in  the  building, 
if  women  speak  in  the  meetings.  The  opposite 
party  contend  that  the  prohibition  was  a  local  affair, 


DO  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

applying  only  to  the  women  of  those  da}^s,  and  of 
that  Eastern  country.  Mr.  David  replies,  that,  if 
3'ou  are  going  to  explain  away  the  Bible,  you  may 
as  well  not  have  any  Bible. 

Fennel  Payne  and  some  others  propose  that  the 
men  meet  in  the  schoolhouse,  and  there  talk 
the  matter  over,  and,  if  possible,  come  to  some 
decision.  Mr.  David  says  he  is  ready  to  do 
this,  if  Fennel  Payne's  party  will  take  the  Bible 
literally,  and  not  add,  nor  take  away,  nor  explain 
away. 

Four  days  later.  Last  evening  the  men  came 
together  in  the  schoolhouse.  Those  who  live  near 
brought  lamps,  candles,  and  lanterns,  which,  being 
set  in  a  row  on  the  desk,  did  their  best  to  bring  out 
the  low  ceiling  and  dingy  walls.  Mr.  David  opened 
the  discussion  by  saying  that  he  saw  no  reason  for  any 
discussion  at  all,  if  we  believed  the  Bible  ;  for  there 
was  the  text  in  plain  words  :  "  It  is  not  permitted 
that  a  woman  should  speak  in  the  church." 

Fennel  Pa3rne  asked  whether  the  word  "church" 
meant  a  building,  or  the  collection  of  people  who 
partake  of  the  sacrament,  and  are  called  "the 
church."  Mr.  David  said  it  probably  meant  either, 
or  both.  "Then,"  said  Fennel,  "  if  a  coHection 
of  people  who  do  not  belong  to  the  church  assemble 


A    TALK  IN   THE  SCIIOOLIIOUSE.  97 

in  a  building  which  is  not  a  church,  a  woman  may 
speak  to  them  ?  " 

Mr.  David  began  to  say  that  the  prohibition  was 
probably  intended  to  cover  —  but  Fennel  reminder! 
him  that  nothing  was  to  be  added,  or  subtracted,  or 
explained  away. 

Then  a  man  named  Hale  rose,  and  asked  if  it 
were  right  for  women  to  teach  in  sabbath  schools. 
"  Certainly  it  is  !  "  answered  Mr.  Zenas  Melendy, 
"  very  right  and  very  proper."  •  -  "  And  if," 
continued  Mr.  Hale,  "  inquirers  anxious  for  the 
welfare  of  their  souls  should  come  to  your  wife, 
seeking  light  on  religious  subjects,  it  would  be  right 
for  her  to  give  them  information  ?  "  —  "  Certainly  !  " 
answered  Mr.  Zenas.  "  She  would  be  very  blame 
worthy  in  not  doing  it."-— "On  the  contrary," 
replied  Mr.  Hale,  opening  his  Testament,  "  she  is 
strictly  forbidden  to  do  it.  Here  Paul  says,  '  / 
suffer  not  a  woman  to  teach.'  This  excludes  women 
from  teaching  the  truths  of  the  gospel,  from  teach 
ing  in  the  sabbath  school,  in  high  schools,  normal 
schools,  any  schools." 

"But  Paul  didn't  mean,"  began  Mr.  Zenas  — 
"  Excuse  me,"  interrupted  Mr.  Hale.  "The  con 
ditions  are,  not  to  add,  nor  subtract,  nor  explain 
away.  And  here  in  Ephesians  is  another  text." 
9 


98  TIJE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

Mr.  Hale  then  read,  "  Wives,  submit  yourselves  to 
your  husbands  in  every  tiling"  and  asked  if  that 
command  were  to  be  obeyed  without  adding,  sub 
tracting,  or  explaining  away. 

"  Why,  yes,"  answered  Mr.  Zeuas,  with  a  hesi 
tancy  which  caused  a  general  smile  ;  it  being  pretty 
well  understood  in  Tweenit  that  Mrs.  Zenas  does 
not  fulfil  that  command  to  the  very  letter. 

"  This  injunction,  then,"  remarked  Mr.  Hale, 
' '  takes  from  wives  all  personal  responsibility.  Sub 
mit  yourselves  to  your  husbands  in  every  thing.  If 
a  husband  wishes  his  wife  to  do  a  wrong  act,  it  is 
her  duty  to  obey  him." 

Mr.  David  said,  that,  of  course,  a  woman  should 
not  do  any  thing  against  her  own  conscience.  Mr. 
Hale  replied,  that  the  text  left  her  no  right  of  pri 
vate  judgment,  inasmuch  as  Paul  declared  over  and 
over  again  in  his  epistles,  that  the  wife  must  submit 
to  the  husband,  and  that  "  'the  husband  is  the  head  of 
the  wife,  as  Christ  is  the  head  of  the  church."  "  And 
hei'e,"  Mr.  Hale  continued,  "is  a  passage  which 
commands  us  to  '  Owe  no  man  any  thing.'  Those 
who  cannot  worship  in  a  building  in  which  women, 
speak  cannot  worship  with  any  person  who  is  in 
debt.  And  here  again"  (turning  the  leaves)  "are 
other  texts :  '  Let  no  man  seek  his  own,  but  every 


A   TALK  IN   THE  SCHOOLIIOUSE.  99 

man  another's  wealth.'  '  Bear  ye  one  another's 
burdens.'  These  are  equally  emphatic :  if  one 
binds,  all  bind." 

It  was  at  this  point  that  Cyrus  Fennel  (brother  of 
Martha)  made  a  hit  at  Mr.  David.  He  arose,  and, 
looking  toward  the  old  man,  said  he  should  like  to 
inquire  whether  Christ's  commands  were  as  binding 
as  those  of  Paul?  Mr.  David  said  that  certainly 
they  were,  and  more*  so.  Cyrus  then  read  these 
words  of  Christ :  "  Give  to  every  man  that  asJcetk.of 
thee."  This  brought  to  every  face  an  amused,  hali- 
pleased  expression ;  Mr.  David's  stinginess  being 
almost  a  by-word  here.  He  replied,  that  every  man 
has  a  duty  to  his  family.  Fennel  Payne  reminded 
him  again  that  nothing  was  to  be  explained  away, 
and  then  read  other  commands  of  Christ,  each 
of  a  similar  import  to  the  one  mentioned  by  Cyrus. 
He  then  repeated  all  the  different  texts  which  had 
been  brought  forward,'  beginning  with  that  against 
women  speaking  in  the  church.  "  And  now  I  want 
to.  ask,"  he  continued,  "  why  the  first  of  these 
injunctions  should  be  taken  literally,  and  the  others 
not?" 

As  Fennel  Payne  sat  down,  a  tall,  gray -haired 
man  arose,  —  the  same  who  came  through  the  place, 
not  long  ago,  selling  "  Bitters  "  of  his  own  making. 


100  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

He  is  a  pleasant-faced,  good-humored  man,  and 
travels,  with  his  jugs,  in  an  antique  carryall,  on  the 
outside  of  which  is  written  with  chalk,  "  Archangel 
Bitters."  His  name  is  Hensiford.  This  man  arose, 
and,  after  asking  permission  to  speak,  said  in  a 
bland,  mild  tone,  speaking  slowly,  "  My  friends, 
it  comes  to  my  mind  to  ask  a  question,  which  is 
this  :  Why  are  men  met  together  to  decide  this  mat 
ter?  My  friends,  if  the  Almighty  Creator  meant 
that  woman  should  be  judged  by  the  law,  he  gave  to 
her  an  understanding  mind  to  understand  the  law  : 
otherwise,  God  is  unjust.  And,  my  friends,  if 
women  are  to  be  saved,  or  lost,  according  to  the 
deeds  done  in  the  body,  it  must  be  that  they  have 
consciences  whereby  they  may  tell  right  from  wrong  : 
otherwise,  God  is  unjust.  My  friends,  woman 
either  is  a  responsible  being,  or  she  is  not  a  respon 
sible  being :  she  can't  be  sometimes  one,  and 
sometimes  the  other.  It  does  not  appear  to  me, 
my  friends,  that  we  are  called  upon  to  decide  this 
matter.  The  brother  on  my  right  hand  allowed, 
just  now,  that  woman  should  be  guided  by  her  con 
science.  Paul  asks,  '  Why  is  my  liberty  judged  of 
another  man's  conscience  ? '  Women  might  ask  the 
same  question  by  putting  in  the  word  '  any '  in  place 
of  '  another.'  And  now,  my  friends,"  continued 


A    TALK  IN   THE  SCHOOLHOUSE  101 

the  old  man,  looking  round  with  a  persuasive  smile, 
' '  what  a  plain  and  simple  way  it  would  be  to  let 
women  understand  Scripter  with  their  own  under 
standings,  and  regulate  their  behavior  by  the  voice 
of  their  own  consciences  !  " 
»* 


102  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRVXK. 


XIV. 

AN  ENTERTAINING  MEETING. 

great  chapel  question  has  been  decided  at 
last  by  a  coup  d'etat.  Cyrus  Fennel  had  prom 
ised  to  give  a  lot  of  land ;  and  the  deed  was  made 
out  some  time  ago,  but  not  signed.  At  last,  grow 
ing  impatient  with  what  he  called  the  narrowness  of 
Mr.  David  and  a  few  others,  Cyrus  declared  that  he 
never  would  sign  the  deed,  unless  it  was  agreed  that 
any  person  and  every  person  who  might  feel  moved 
to  speak  in  their  meetings  should  have  libertj7  to  do 
so.  Some  one  suggested  to  Mr.  David  that  he 
come  up  with  Cyras  by  giving  a  lot  of  land  himself. 
This  thunder-clap  of  a  suggestion  cleared  Mr. 
David's  mental  vision  sufficiently  to  enable  him  to 
perceive  that  the  minority  should  not  stand  out 
longer  against  the  majority,  and  that  possibly,  by 
entering  their  protest,  they  had  done  all  that  was 
required  of  them. 

Previous  to  this,  however,  a  plan  was  proposed, 


AN   ENTERTAINING  MEETING.  103 

which  elicited  a  curious  little  bit  of  information  in 
regard  to  the  law.  The  plan  was,  that  the  sew 
ing-circle  should  build  and  own  the  chapel.  Some 
one  queried  whether  or  not  this  could  be  done  legally  ; 
and,  to  make  sure,  Mrs.  Hale  and  Adeline  Payne 
went  to  Elmbridge  one  day,  and  consulted  a  lawyer. 

The  sewing-circle  met  here  that  afternoon ;  and, 
on  returning  from  Elmbridge,  the  two  delegates  has 
tened  over  to  announce  the  result  of  their  mission. 
The  lawyer  had  assured  them,  they  said,  that  no 
company  of  married  women  could  own  a  building,  or 
any  other  property.  "  Not  even  a  hen-house,"  said 
Adeline.  "The  lawyer  told  us,  that,  if  we  two 
should  want  to  set  up  storekeeping  together,  we 
couldn't  own  our  stock  of  goods." 

This  announcement  was  followed  by  a  dead  calm, 
and  the  dead  calm  by  a  hurricane  of  exclamations  : 
"Well,  I  declare!"  "Now,  if  that  isn't  a  good 
one  !  "  "  "What,  not  when  we  earned  the  monej-  to 
build  it?"  "Pretty  state  of  things !"  "I  don't* 
see  wiry  not ! "  "  The  ones  that  made  that  law 
better  make  it  over  !  "  * 

There  was  an  old  lady  present,  —  a  frequent  vis 
itor  in  Tweenit,  —  one  Mrs.  Heath,  commonly  called 

*  Recent  legislatiye  proceedings  sliow  that  some  law 
makers  are  of  the  same  opinion. 


104  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S  TRUNK. 

"Aunt  Mary,"  a  white-haired,  sallow-faced,  but, 
on  the  whole,  a  pleasant-looking  old  lady.  When 
the  storm  had  subsided,  Aunt  Mary  remarked  in 
her  quiet  way,  that  she  could  tell  them  a  fact  or 
two  about  law.  Her  fact  or  two  was  as  follows. 
She  married,  at  the  age  of  twentj'-six,  a  seafaring 
man  five  years  older  than  herself.  Her  husband 
made  only  one  voyage  after  they  were  married.  He 
owned  a  house  and  a  small  piece  of  ground  :  another 
piece  was  bought,  partly  with  her  money,  both  to 
gether  making  quite  a  snug  little  farm.  She  kept 
boarders  some  of  the  time,  and  made  a  practice  of 
taking  in  work  (tailoring  had  been  her  trade)  in  or 
der  to  help  along,  so  that  what  mone}*  was  raised 
from  the  place  might  be  spent  on  the  place.  They 
had  no  children.  After  twenty-eight  j'ears  of  married 
life  she  became  a  widow.  The  law  gave  her  one-half 
the  personal  property,  and  the  improvement  of  one- 
third  of  the  real  estate :  the  rest  went  to  her 
'husband's  brother.  "A  share  of  the  place  was 
set  off  to  me,"  said  Aunt  Mary,  "  and  rights  of 
way  '  allowed  me'  across  my  own  premises.  I  had 
some  privileges  in  the  house  too,  besides  the  rooms 
that  were  set  off  to  me  ;  the  privilege,  for  instance, 
of  going  through  my  ow,n  front  entry,  and  into  my 
own  sinkroom.  Every  thing  in  the  house  was 


•AN  ENTERTAINING  MEETING  105 

appraised.  Samuel  took  half  of  the  furniture, 
dishes,  beds,  and  bedding  ;  took  some  things  made 
of  inlaid  work  and  of  shell-work,  —  things  I  set  a 
good  deal  o'  store  b}',  because  my  husband  brought 
them  home  to  me  before  we  were  married.  Li-zy 
kind  o'  hated  to  take  'em;  but  she  said,  says  she, 
'  You  know  everybody  likes  to  have  what's  their 
own.'  " 

' '  Couldn't  he  have  made  a  will  ? "  asked  some 
one. 

"  Oh,  yes  !  he  could,  and  he  did  mean  to  make  one. 
I  was  only  speaking  of  the  law.  He  meant  to  give 
it  all  to  me." 

While  Aunt  Mary  was  telling  her  story,  old  Mr. 
Hale  came  in,  father  to  the  Mr.  Hale  who  spoke  in 
the  meeting.  The  old  man  said  he  couldn't  help 
feeling  an  interest  to  know  how  the  lawyers  laid 
down  the  law. 

After  hearing  the  decision,  and  hearing  Aunt 
Mary's  story,  he  said,  "Wai,  ladies,  you  woman 
kind  must  make  up  your  minds  to  let  patience  have 
her  parfect  work.  The  laws  favor  ye  more  than  they 
did.  Women  have  come  up  considerable  since  Paul's 
day.  I  don't  believe  there's  a  minister  in  the  land 
would  stand  up  and  preach  a  discourse  in  favor  of 
that  text,  '  Women,  submit  yourselves  unto  your  hus- 


106  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

bands  in  every  thing.'  He'd  be  laughed  down. 
And  suppose  a  writer  should  write  an  es-rsay  to 
prove  that  wives  ought  to  keep  that  command,  and 
send  it  to  that  biggest  New- York  double  newspaper. 
What  would  the  editor  do  with  that  es-say?  Put  it 
into  his  head  column  ? 

"  You  jest  wait.  There's  a  great  to-do  now  about 
u  woman's  gittin'  up  to  speak  in  a  revival-meetin'. 
Wai,  in  my  father's  day,  there  was  a  great  to-do 
about  their  not  wearin'  their  veils  into  the  meetin'- 
house.  Ministers  took  sides,  and  arter  a  while  it 
got  into  the  Boston  newspapers.  The  greatest  minis 
ters  in  the  State  preached  for  and  agin  it.  There 
was  a  famous  minister  came  to  our  town.  I've  heard 
my  father  tell  the  story  many  a  time.  Father  said 
he  was  among  the  last  of  his  teens  then,  and  said  he 
used  to  sit  in  a  square  pew  in  the  gallery,  back  to 
the  pulpit ;  and  the  girl  he  wanted  to  go  with  sat  down 
below,  jest  far  enough  off,  and  not  too  near,  for  him 
to  keep  lookin'  at  her,  and  she  at  him,  now  and 
then  ;  and  that  kind  o'  took  up  his  mind  in  sermon- 
time.  He  had  never  durst  to  try  to  be  her  beau  in 
earnest.  He'd  walked  alongside  once  or  twice,  but 
never'd  had  the  face  to  offer  his  arm  ;  and  he'd  made 
dependence  on  his  Sundays,  and  been  steady  to 
meetin'  for  reasons  aforesaid.  Wai,  when  the  veil 


AN  ENTERTAINING  MEETING.  107 

question  begun  to  make  a  stir,  all  the  girls,  and  she 
among  'em,  became  persuaded  in  their  minds  they 
ought  to  wear  their  veils  into  the  meetin'-house, 
and  keep  'em  down  ;  and  this  caused  a  dreadful  de 
privation  to  him,  and  to  others  likewise. 

"  And,  arter  things  had  gone  on  so  a  spell,  there 
came  a  famous  preacher  to  town,  one  of  the  uncom 
mon  rare  ones ;  and  he  preached  a  sermon  with 
thirteen  heads,  all  goin'  to  show  that  women  could 
keep  their  veils  down,  or  not  keep  'em  down,  jest  as 
they  pleased.  That  was  in  the  forenoon.  Father 
said,  that,  in  the  arternoon,  every  single  girl  in  that 
meetin'-house  sat  all  -meetin'-time  with  her  veil  up. 
He  said  'twas  jest  like  light  breakin'  in  arter  a 
cloudy  shadow." 

' '  And  what  about  the  girl  ?  "  asked  Martha 
Fennel.  ' '  Did  he. have  the  girl ?  " 

"  No.  The  girl  had  a  young  man  that  she  didn't 
look  at,  that  sat  over  across  in  the  other  gallery." 

"  But  it  can't  be  true,"  remarked  Adeline  Payne, 
'-  that  ministers  really  did  pretend  to  dictate 
whether  women  should  wear  veils,  or  not?  " 

"  Jest  what  Mr.  Picket's  wife  said,  over  at  Elm 
Bridge,  when  I  told  them  this  same  story.  I  said 
'twas  actooally  true.  And  Mr.  Picket,  said  he,  '  I 
tell  you  how  we'll  prove  it.  You  said  'twas  in 


108  THE   SCHOOLMASTER'S    TRUNK. 

the  old  Boston  newspapers.  My  cousin  goes  repre 
sentative  to  General  Court.  They  keep  files  of  the 
old  Boston  papers  in  the  Boston  Library,'  says  he  ; 
'  and  I'll  write  1113*  cousin  word  to  look  'em  over.' 
We  reckoned  back,  and  found  father  must  have  been 
among  the  last  of  his  teens  about  the  year  1800. 
So  Mr.  Picket  wrote  word  to  his  cousin ;  and  his 
cousin  looked  the  files  over,  and  found  a  paper  that 
had  a  piece  in  it  on  this  very  subject ;  and  the 
name  of  the  paper,  if  I  don't  mistake  my  memory, 
was  '  The  Columbia  Sentinel." " 

I  was  quite  interested  in  this  little  story  of  Mr. 
Hale's.  Indeed,  since  my  attention  has  been  called 
to  domestic  science,  I  have  felt  a  steadily-increas 
ing  interest  in  whatever  relates  to  the  condition  of 
women,  past,  present,  and  future.  Previous  to  that, 
I  used  to  think,  or  rather  took  it  for  granted  in  an 
indifferent  way  without  thinking,  that,  in  matters  of 
religion,  women  were  on  an  equality  with  men.  I 
had  the  impression  that  this  equality  was  claimed  for 
one  of  the  results  of  Christianity  as  being  enjoined 
by  the  text,  ending,  "Neither  male  nor  female,  but 
all  one  in  Christ  Jesus."  A  few  sarcastic  remarks 
of  Nanny  Joe  (which  remarks  I  had  in  mind  while 
writing  one  of  the  early  numbers  of  these  papers) , 
together  with  some  of  my  own  observations,  have 


AN  ENTERTAINING  MEETING.  109 

caused  me  to  read  with  close  attention  the  discus 
sions  which  are  so  continually  going  on  in  the  papers 
in  regard  to  what  woman  should  or  should  not  be 
allowed  to  do.  And,  with  all  my  reading  and  all  my 
thinking,  I  can  arrive  at  no  other  conclusion  than 
that  of  my  friend  who  sells  "  Archangel  Bitters  ;  " 
namely,  that  woman,  having  been  endowed  by  her 
Creator  with  mind  and  with  conscience,  should  be 
left  to  understand  Scripture  with  her  own  under 
standing,  and  to  judge  for  herself  what  is  right, 
and  what  is  wrong,  man  not  being  accountable 
therefor. 

10 


110  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUXK. 


XV. 

THE  WRITER  FACES   HIS  OWN  MUSIC. 

A  LADY-FRIEND,  after  looking  over  my  pa- 
-*"*-  pers,  asked  why  I  harped  so  much  on  the  rather 
low  and  trivial  subject  of  eating.  "  Because,"  said 
I,  "  daily  observation  has  driven  me  to  it."  And 
this  is  just  the  truth.  I  see  that  everybody  takes  it 
for  granted  they  must  have  good  living,  ' '  what 
ever,"  to  use  Mrs.  Melendy's  word,  rather  than 
pleasures  of  a  higher  grade,  even  the  pleasure  of 
helping  the  needy. 

Take  a  close-fisted  man  like*  Mr.  David,  who, 
though  well  enough  off,  pi'actises  the"  strictest  stingi 
ness.  With  him  the  spending  of  each  dime  is 
carefully  considered.  A  half-dollar  given  away  is, 
as  one  may  say,  hung  up  in  his  memory,  set  in  a 
frame,  for  handy  reference.  When  such  a  man 
affords  his  family  cakes,  pies,  preserves,  and  the 
like,  for  their  daily  food,  we  may  consider  such 
things  to  be  firmly  established  as  "  must  haves." 


THE    WRITER  FACES  II IS   OWN   MUSIC.      Ill 

Indeed,  all  classes,  poor  as  well  as  rich,  seem  to 
agree  that  the  earning  and  compounding  of  these 
and  similar  articles  rank  among  the  chief  objects  of 
life.  The  veiy  phrase  "good  living"  shows  this, 
since  it  implies  that  to  li#e  well  is  to  eat  well.  A 
man  said  to  me  the  other  day,  "  When  I  can't  tat 
and  drink  what  I  want  to,  then  I  want  to  die." 

Now,  if  we  were  created  only  a  little  lower  than 
the  angels,  there  certainly  should  be  a  wider  space 
between  us  and  the  inferior  animals  than  such  a  state 
of  gormandism  denotes.  Not  that  the  pleasures  of 
eating  are  to  be  wholly  despised.  There  is,  after 
all,  a  relationship  between  us  and  the  brutes ;  and 
we  need  not  be  ashamed  to  own  our  kindred,  or  to 
share  in  their  enjo3~ments.  Besides,  these  grains, 
fruits,  vegetables,  &c.,  which  we  are  called  to  meet 
three  times  a  day,  are  all  our  relations,  on  the 
mother's  side  (Mother  Nature's) ,  and  should  by  no 
means  be  regarded  with  contempt,  especially  as  it  is 
their  destiny  to  be  worked  up  into  human  beings, 
actually  made  bone  of  our  bone,  and  flesh  of  our 
flesh. 

I  believe  in  festival  days  with  all  my  heart,  which 
is  the  very  best  way  of  believing.  I  think  we 
should  sometimes  call  our  friends  together,  and 
gratify  the  whole  of  them  (not  meaning  all  of 


112  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

them,  but  the  whole  nature  of  each  one),  —  give 
them  bright  thoughts  for  the  intellect,  friendliness  for 
the  heart,  and  good  things  for  the  palate,  keeping,  as 
regards  the  last,  within  the  bounds  of  common-sense 
and  healthfulness. 

The  palate  craves  enjo3*ment ;  and  that  craving, 
being  a  natural  one,  must  be  recognized  as  such. 
But  what  I  insist  upon  is  this  ;  namely,  that  gratify 
ing  the  palate  shall  not  rank  among  the  chief 
occupations  or  the  chief  enjoyments  of  life,  for  it 
has  usurped  those  positions  long  enough. 

And  not  only  is  it  an  usurper,  crowding  out  better 
and  more  ennobling  aims,  but  it  makes  slaves  of 
women,  and  seriously  affects  their  peace  of  mind.  I 
have  a  bright-eyed  young  cousin,  whose  one  idea, 
during  the  first  half  of  the  day  at  least,  is  to  pre 
pare  a  dinner  which  shall  please  the  fastidious  taste 
of  her  husband.  For  this  end  she  works,  plans, 
ponders,  experiments,  contrives,  invents,  and  consults 
cook-books  and  cooks  ;  and,  this  end  attained,  she  is 
happy.  But  I  have  seen  her  at  mealtime,  when  he 
has  criticised  unfavorably  a  dish  on  which  she  had 
spent  much  labor  and  more  anxiety,  —  have  seen  her 
flush  up,  leave  the  table  on  some  pretended  errand,  and 
(this  is  actual  truth)  brush  tears  from  those  bright 
eyes  of  hers.  Another  case.  An  elderly  woman  of 


THE    WRITER  FACES  IT  IS   OWN  MUSIC.      113 

this  village  died  recently,  the  chief  end  and  aim  of 
whose  whole  married  life  had  been,  so  people  say 
who  know,  to  cook  in  such  a  manner  as  exactly  to 
please  I.er  husband.  She  succeeded.  That  husband 
made  the  remark,  in  this  very  house,  and  within  this 
very  week,  that  he  hadn't  tasted  a  decent  piece  of 
custard-pie  since  his  wife  died.  Among  the  wealthier 
classes  it  is  just  the  same.  I  believe  that  Mrs.  Man 
chester  goes  to  her  dinner-table  every  day  with  fear 
and  trembling.  Perhaps  her  case  is  worse  than  that 
of  my  cousin,  as,  with  Mrs.  Manchester,  success  or 
failure  depends  on  the  uncertain  capabilities  of  Irish 
help.  The  blame,  however,  if  blame  there  be,  rests 
on  Mrs.  Manchester ;  and  I  have  seen  that  the  sar 
castic  manner  in  which  Mr.  Manchester  blames, 
sometimes  cuts  into  the  quick.  These  ma}'  be  excep 
tional  cases :  I  trust  they  are.  But  that  this  state 
of  things  does  prevail  more  or  less  generally,  cannot 
be  denied.  If,  then,  the  low  and  trivial  matter  of 
eating  be  sufficiently  high  and  important  to  take  so 
very  prominent  a  position  among  our  enjoyments, 
and  to  seriously  affect  the  peace  and  happiness  of 
woman's  life,  why  not  harp  on  it? 

It  should  be  harped  on,  likewise,  because  it  affects 
the  condition  of  almost  everybody.  Simplify  cookery, 
thus  reducing  the  cost  of  living,  and  how  many  long- 
10* 


114  THE   SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

ing  individuals,  now  forbidden,  would  thereby  be 
enabled  to  afford  themselves  the  pleasures  of  culture, 
of  travel,  of  social  intercourse,  of  tasteful  dwellings  ! 
And  it  might  be  added,  at  the  risk  of  raising  a  smile, 
how  many  pairs  of  waiting  lovers,  now  forbidden, 
would  thereby  be  enabled  to  marry,  and  go. to  —  par 
adise,  which  is  to  say  housekeeping  ! 

Social  intercourse,  in  a  special  manner,  would  be 
affected  by  the  change.  People  "can't  have  com 
pany,  'tis  such  hard  work ! "  And  no  wonder !  A 
young  woman  of  this  village  set  before  her  company, 
the  other  afternoon,  three  kinds  of  cake,  two  of  pie, 
three  of  preserves,  besides  Washington-pie,  cookies, 
and  hot  and  cold  bread.  Ever}7  woman  who  sat  at 
that  tea-table,  when  her  turn  of  inviting  the  com 
pany  comes  round,  will  feel  obliged  to  make  a 
similar  display.  When  this  barbarous  practice  of 
stuffing  one's  guests  shall  have  been  abolished,  a 
social  gathering  will  not  necessarily  impby  hard 
labor  and  dyspepsia.  Perhaps,  when  that  time 
arrives,  we  shall  be  sufficiently  civilized  to  demand 
pleasures  of  a  higher  sort.  True,  the  entertain 
ments  will  then,  in  one  sense,  be  more  costly,  as 
culture  is  harder  to  come  by  than  cake.  The 
profusion  of  viands  now  heaped  upon  the  table 
betrays  povertj-  of  the  worst  sort.  Having  nothing 


THE    WRITER  FACES  HIS   OWN  MUSIC.      115 

better  to  offer,  we  offer  victuals ;  and  this  we  do 
with  something  of  that  complacent,  satisfied  air 
with  which  some  more  northern  tribes  present  their 
tidbits  of  whale  and  walrus. 

When  we  have  changed  all  this,  it  will  then  be 
given  us  to  know  the  real  pleasure  of  eating.  At 
present  our  appetites  are  so  vitiated  by  over-eating, 
that  the  keen  edge  of  this  pleasure  is  dulled. 
Whoever  would  enjoy  it,  sharpened  at  both  edges, 
let  him  labor  hard  enough  to  feel  actual  hunger,  and 
then  take  —  why,  take  any  simple  thing,  a  baked  po 
tato,  a  slice  of  meat,  a  piece  of  bread.  The  dishes 
that  make  the  work,  and  cost  the  money,  are  usually 
eaten  after  hunger  is  satisfied,  and  do  harm,  rather 
than  good. 

We  often  hear  people  remark,  "Oh!  we  don't 
want  to  be  thinking  of  what  does  harm,  and  what 
does  good.  The  best  way  is  to  eat  what's  on  the 
table."  I  know  a  mother  who  gives  her  only  child,  a 
little  girl  three  years  old,  hot  biscuits,  mince-pie, 
rich  cake,  and  the  like,  believing,  she  says,  that 
"  a  child's  stomach  should  get  used  to  every  thing." 
For  her  part,  she  believes  in  living  the  natural  way, 
not  in  picking  and  choosing.  Why  not,  on  the 
same  principle,  let  the  child  get  used  to  all  kinds  of 
reading,  and  all  kinds  of  companions? 


116  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

It  is  curious,  the  way  people  assume,  that,  because 
the  present  system  of  cooking  and  serving  meals  is 
customary,  it  is,  therefore,  natural ;  as  if  the  courses 
of  a  dinner,  each  with  its  central  dish,  and  that  with 
its  revolving  lesser  dishes,  were,  equally  with  the  solar 
system,  an  established  order  of  nature.  Meal-pro 
viders  have  sought  out  many  inventions,  and  call  these 
the  "natural  way."  They  give  us,  at  one  sitting,  fish, 
pork,  flour,  butter,  salt,  milk,  eggs,  raisins,  spices, 
corn,  potatoes,  squash,  coffee,  sugar,  saleratus, 
pickles,  onions,  lard,  pepper,  cooked  fruits,  toma 
toes,  essences,  all  variously  combined,  and  say, 
"  Here,  eat,  eat  in  the  natural  wayv"  Why  natural? 
The  men  and  women  it  helps  to  produce  are,  to  some 
extent,  its  natural  consequences ;  but  are  they 
natural  men  and  women?  Hear  them.  "  Oh,  my 
head  ! "  "  Oh,  my  "back  ! "  "  Oh,  my  side  ! "  "  Oh,  my 
liver ! "  "  Oh,  my  stomach ! "  "  Oh,  my  nerves  ! "  On 
every  side  resounds  the  mournful  chorus.  Seldom  do 
we  hear  break  in  even  one  jubilant  voice,  chanting 
in  response,  "  I  am  in  perfect  health.  I  feel  no  ache, 
no  pain."  Is  this,  then,  the  natural  way?  But  the 
system  speaks  for  itself,  or,  rather,  the  innumerable 
host  Of  invalids  speak  for  it.  So  does  the  grand 
army  of  doctors.  So  do  proprietors  of  patent  med 
icines,  rolling  in  wealth.  Why,  people  take  ill 


THE    WRITER  FACES  HIS   OWN  MUSIC.      117 

health  for  granted.  "No  use  telling  your  aches: 
everybody  has  'em,"  is  a  remark  often  heard. 

Occasionally  an  individual  rebels,  and  insists  on 
eating  really  simple  and  natural  food.  Such  indi 
vidual  is  straightway  called  odd.  He  is  jeered  at, 
ridiculed,  accused  of  thinking  about  his  stomach, 
and  about  what  merely  goes  to  sustain  the  body,  as 
if  such  thinking  were  not  worth  while. 

Now,  these  bodies  are  nearer  and  dearer  to  us 
than  any  other  earthly  possession.  And,  what  is 
more,  they  will  cling  to  us.  We  are  joined  to  them 
for  better  or  worse  ;  and  from  this  union  there  is  no 
divorce,  till  death  do  us  part.  Why,  then,  scoff  at 
them?  Why  not,  on  the  contrary,  seriously  con 
sider  how  we  may  build  them  up  as  pure,  as  strong, 
and  as  perfect  as  may  be?  Not  worth  white  to 
think  about  one's  stomach  ?  Why  ?  The  stomach 
is  not  an  obscure  party,  doing  business  in  a  small 
wa}-,  and  on  its  own  account.  It  is  leading  partner 
in  an  important  and  influential  firm,  —  "  Stomach, 
Brains,  &  Co."  There  is  nothing  vulgar  about  brains  ; 
oh,  no  !  They  have  always  been  respectable.  Well, 
in  this  great  firm,  each  member  is  liable  for  all,  and 
all  for  each.  If  one  runs  in  debt,  the  others  have 
to  pay.  It  is  well  known  that  the  condition  of  the 
brain  and  other  organs  is  affected  by  the  quality  of 


118  THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S   TRUNK. 

the  blood,  and  the  quality  of  the  blood,  by  the 
quality  of  the  food.  The  change  of  food  into  blood 
is  a  chemical  process  ;  and  why  is  not  human  chem 
istry  as  well  worth  stud}'ing  as  any  other  kind  ?  for 
instance,  that  by  which  the  manufacturer  selects  the 
best  chemicals  for  his  various  dj-estuffs,  and  the  gar 
dener  those  best  adapted  to  his  various  soils.  The 
time  may  come  when  this  chemistry  of  eating  shall 
rank  with  other  scientific  studies.  People  shall  then 
be  allowed  to  "pick  and  choose"  the  diet  best  cal 
culated  to  make  healtlry  nerves,  blood,  bones,  &c. ; 
and  they  shall  not  suffer  ridicule  for  so  doing. 


